About Us
Our beloved Jenna
Jenna and Friends Animal Sanctuary is a peaceful refuge outside of Chapel Hill, NC for rescued animals, including pot bellied pigs, farm pigs, chickens, and guinea pigs. We started our dream of rescuing animals in late 2015, and now we are well on our way with 12 pigs, three roosters, three guinea pigs, and a dog. All of these animals were rescued in one way or another. Keep reading to find out more about our crew!
Our sanctuary is named after our beloved dog and best friend Jenna, pictured here. She deeply touched our lives in so many ways. We just had to keep her sweet memory alive in our name so she can serve as a constant reminder and inspiration that our mission is and always will be to rescue, care for, and provide love and compassion to our animal friends as long as we live.
Our sanctuary is named after our beloved dog and best friend Jenna, pictured here. She deeply touched our lives in so many ways. We just had to keep her sweet memory alive in our name so she can serve as a constant reminder and inspiration that our mission is and always will be to rescue, care for, and provide love and compassion to our animal friends as long as we live.
Meet our rescues!
Maggie
Little Maggie came to us from a lovely lady in Durham who knew Maggie needed a better life. She purchased Maggie from a breeder as a tiny little baby (much too young to be away from her mama), and was keeping her in a crate in her apartment. It didn't take long for her to realize that Maggie was not a micro "teacup" pig. She was growing into a full-sized potbellied pig who didn't belong in an apartment without access to soil and earth and ,above all, a herd.
Maggie is a great reminder for us to just say NO to breeders and YES to supporting rescues and sanctuaries that provide loving homes for animals.
Maggie is a great reminder for us to just say NO to breeders and YES to supporting rescues and sanctuaries that provide loving homes for animals.
Mandy
Miss Mandy was our first rescue
Mandy was our very first rescue! Alerted by a Craigslist post, we found out that this little baby – only a couple of months old at the time – was living in a small crate surrounded by barking dogs in a tiny apartment in Graham, NC. We also found out that the owner suddenly had to move out of her apartment and had no intention of taking Mandy with her. We immediately took action and brought her home to live with us. She was a scared little girl, screaming all the way from the car to the barn.
Now Miss Mandy has completely recovered from her awful experience as a little baby. She runs and plays and loves every minute of her sweet life! She is quite the little snuggler, too. She spends her days exploring her yard looking for new adventures, and that cute tail is always wagging! Her favorite treats are spaghetti squash and grapes.
Now Miss Mandy has completely recovered from her awful experience as a little baby. She runs and plays and loves every minute of her sweet life! She is quite the little snuggler, too. She spends her days exploring her yard looking for new adventures, and that cute tail is always wagging! Her favorite treats are spaghetti squash and grapes.
Daisy
Miss Daisy says hello to Anna
Miss Daisy came to us from the Durham County Animal Shelter. We don’t know her situation, but apparently someone found her wandering around the Durham area, and she was taken to the shelter and immediately put on the list for a livestock auction. Fortunately our friend Bridget Munger contacted us to see if we could take this sweet baby, and obviously we said yes! Bridget attended the auction and “won” Miss Daisy. Apparently some of the auction attendees were making bacon jokes, which made her rescue even more urgent!
Now Miss Daisy lives an extremely comfortable life here with us. She is definitely the dominant one of the bunch, bossing everyone around and making sure she gets her way. I guess you can say she’s the mother of the group. She loves her food, especially her mid-day snacks, which can be anything from sweet potatoes, apples, grapes, squash, to zucchini. She also loves her belly rubs, and will flop over in a second to give you better access.
Now Miss Daisy lives an extremely comfortable life here with us. She is definitely the dominant one of the bunch, bossing everyone around and making sure she gets her way. I guess you can say she’s the mother of the group. She loves her food, especially her mid-day snacks, which can be anything from sweet potatoes, apples, grapes, squash, to zucchini. She also loves her belly rubs, and will flop over in a second to give you better access.
Bobby
Bobby loves his new home . . . and Miss Mandy
Bobby is a beautiful, sexy boy! From our understanding, he was living with a family that was planning to “fatten him up” for dinner. After a good Samaritan finally convinced the family to surrender him, he lived in a foster home for a little while. The foster home was not ideal for our sweet boy, so the search for a permanent home became even more important. Once we heard the story, we started making room for our big boy Bobby, including getting him neutered ASAP. We cannot thank Bridget Munger enough for making the long journey to bring him to us!
As soon as Bobby came to live with us, he and Little Miss Mandy took to each other immediately. They were cuddling and nudging noses in just hours. Now they are totally inseparable. I have no doubt that their deep love for each other is nourished by the fact they both came from horrific beginnings. We are so happy Bobby is here!
As soon as Bobby came to live with us, he and Little Miss Mandy took to each other immediately. They were cuddling and nudging noses in just hours. Now they are totally inseparable. I have no doubt that their deep love for each other is nourished by the fact they both came from horrific beginnings. We are so happy Bobby is here!
Larry
Larry loves his forever home!
Larry came to us from the local kill shelter. He had spent a year in and out of the shelter after animal control had picked him up running loose on several occasions. Someone claimed him at one point but then later decided to surrender him to the shelter. Someone had apparently shaved some of his hair, which must have been a terrifying ordeal for him. When we learned about Larry's situation, we just knew we needed to step in and provide him a forever home.
Larry loves his new buddies (especially Petey the farm pig!) and exploring the woods, but he especially loves lounging in the sunshine! We are sure he's making up for lost time after living so long in a windowless stall at the shelter. Welcome home, Larry!
Larry loves his new buddies (especially Petey the farm pig!) and exploring the woods, but he especially loves lounging in the sunshine! We are sure he's making up for lost time after living so long in a windowless stall at the shelter. Welcome home, Larry!
Gertie
Miss Gertie is our little pink "baby"
Miss Gertie is our little pink “baby” of the bunch. We won her in a livestock bid at the Durham County Animal Shelter. We took several hundred dollars with us to make sure she didn’t end up in the wrong hands, but fortunately the bidding stopped at 90 bucks!
We really don’t know anything about Miss Gertie’s past, since she was found as a stray. However, we do know for certain that she was malnourished and neglected as a baby due to her small size. Unfortunately, many miniature pig breeders malnourish pigs on purpose to keep them small and more attractive to potential buyers (the “micro pig” farce). Miss Gertie’s little tail has not stopped wagging since she’s come to the sanctuary. She gets plenty of treats and hugs all day. She is a pampered little baby. This doll baby is so thrilled to be loved for a change!
We really don’t know anything about Miss Gertie’s past, since she was found as a stray. However, we do know for certain that she was malnourished and neglected as a baby due to her small size. Unfortunately, many miniature pig breeders malnourish pigs on purpose to keep them small and more attractive to potential buyers (the “micro pig” farce). Miss Gertie’s little tail has not stopped wagging since she’s come to the sanctuary. She gets plenty of treats and hugs all day. She is a pampered little baby. This doll baby is so thrilled to be loved for a change!
Petey
Little Petey loves pumpkins
Petey is our first rescued farm pig! Petey was found being chased by dogs near Smithfield, NC, scared, tired, and hungry. A wonderful lady named Wendy rescued him from the dogs and took him in until he was able to come here to the sanctuary. Petey was most likely born in a commercial factory farm to be slaughtered and turned into bacon. We don't know how he escaped that hell, but we are so glad he did. Unlike his parents, brothers, and sisters, Petey is one of the lucky ones, because he will never experience hatred ever again. He will live his life being loved and cared for, as all pigs deserve. We are so lucky to have Petey join our herd and can't wait to see how big he gets! In the meantime, he's going to get lots of love and kisses!!
Ellie
Little Ellie loves her spacious home
Little Ellie came to us very unexpectedly. We were contacted about an urgent situation in which a young pig was being kept in a tiny crate without proper care, and we took action and brought her home to us immediately. She quickly bonded with Sweet Stella, who has since passed away (see her story on our In Memoriam page) . She is still very cautious around people, which speaks to the trauma she must have endured before she came to live with us.
Well, good news, Miss Ellie. You never have to live in a crate ever again. You will always have fresh water, sunny spots for napping, warm straw for sleeping, and nutritious food for your little belly. Ellie truly went from rags to riches in one day, and we are so happy she is here. Oh, and did we mention that her new snuggle buddy is Petey the farm pig? They are so adorable together!!
Well, good news, Miss Ellie. You never have to live in a crate ever again. You will always have fresh water, sunny spots for napping, warm straw for sleeping, and nutritious food for your little belly. Ellie truly went from rags to riches in one day, and we are so happy she is here. Oh, and did we mention that her new snuggle buddy is Petey the farm pig? They are so adorable together!!
Pedro
Pedro loves posing for the camera
Pedro came to us from a really bad situation in Virginia. He and his "wife" Petunia were locked in a very small enclosure, literally living in mud and their own feces. They had no clean water or healthy food. They didn’t even have shade. Apparently the owner was planning to give them to a backyard breeder, but when we found out, our wonderful friend Bridget Munger stepped up with her Piggy Express and brought them home – first to a foster and finally to us.
Unfortunately we lost Petunia (see her story on our In Memoriam page), but Pedro is still here, living in paradise. He has a large wooded area to play in, and he never has to worry about clean water, shade, or proper nourishment ever again. We love watching him running around playing, enjoying his freedom and his friends. We couldn’t love him any more. We are thrilled to give him a life of luxury for the rest of his sweet life!
Unfortunately we lost Petunia (see her story on our In Memoriam page), but Pedro is still here, living in paradise. He has a large wooded area to play in, and he never has to worry about clean water, shade, or proper nourishment ever again. We love watching him running around playing, enjoying his freedom and his friends. We couldn’t love him any more. We are thrilled to give him a life of luxury for the rest of his sweet life!
Roxy
Roxy loves visitors, especially when they have treats!
Unlike most of our rescues, Roxy came from a loving home. The nice family who were raising her realized they just weren’t set up for pigs and didn’t have proper fencing and housing for her. So Roxy came to live here! She settled right in and acclimated to the herd in no time at all. Her tail is constantly wagging, and she is the happiest little girl in the world with her piggie friends. She loves treats and ear scratches. She is truly a happy pig and will spend the rest of her days living life to the fullest.
Janice
Janice is playful and mischievous. She even knows some tricks!
Janice came to us from a home in Clayton where she was living in a fenced-in yard with dogs. As often happens with dogs, even though things started off OK, the dogs soon became aggressive with Janice and started attacking her ears. The family knew they had to make a change immediately, so we took her in. Although her ears have completely healed now, you can still see the rips and scars left over from her ordeal. Now she is very happy and playful. She loves to stand on her back legs and beg for food. She even sits for treats!
Abigail
Abigail loves fruit and fresh straw!
Abigail is our most intense rescue to date. She was living in a pile of trash and cans behind a trailer, apparently abandoned by the former tenants. She had no shelter, clean water, or food. Abigail has lived in squalor her whole life. Now, as a result, she is suffering a myriad of health problems.
We are slowly earning her trust and getting her the medical attention, nutrition, fresh water, and shelter that she deserves. We are literally taking it day by day with this girl, but we are fully confident that love will prevail. We will treat her like royalty for the rest of her days!
We are slowly earning her trust and getting her the medical attention, nutrition, fresh water, and shelter that she deserves. We are literally taking it day by day with this girl, but we are fully confident that love will prevail. We will treat her like royalty for the rest of her days!
Randie Lou
We rescued Randie Lou and her sister Penny Lane from horrendous conditions in the fall of 2021. They were living in a dark, filthy mud hole in the back of a dark shed with no access to sunshine or fresh air. Randie is fat blind from the folds of fat on her face covering her eyes. But we try not to dwell on the past here at Jenna and Friends. Now she has a home in the beautiful woods with her sister Penny, and she'll never have to worry about about food, clean water, and shelter ever again. And she can keep chasing those rays of sunlight for her sweet naps among the trees.
Penny Lane
We rescued Penny Lane and her sister Randie Lou from awful conditions in the fall of 2021. Her former home was a urine-soaked mud pit inside a dark shed. But this is truly a story of rags to riches. Penny Lane now spends her days rooting around the woods, playing games with her herd buddies, and napping in the sunshine. She'll never have to worry about fresh water, warm straw, and healthy food ever again. Welcome home, Penny Lane!
Harvey and Herman
Friends Harvey and Herman love their peaceful life
Harvey and Herman came to us from Sanford, NC, most likely runaways from a cock-fighting operation. They were found hiding in a barn, malnourished and scared. They were very agitated and scared when they arrived here at Jenna and Friends, but they soon learned that they no longer needed to be agfraid or wonder where they would find their next meal.
Now they eat fresh fruit every day and have plenty of fresh water and shelter. They are inseparable friends, which is no surprise, considering the stress they must have endured before the rescue. We are absolutely delighted they are here!
Now they eat fresh fruit every day and have plenty of fresh water and shelter. They are inseparable friends, which is no surprise, considering the stress they must have endured before the rescue. We are absolutely delighted they are here!
Phoenix
Phoenix is showing off his beautiful feathers
Phoenix (named after our favorite animal activist Joaquin) is a beauty! He came to us via a Craigslist posting, and now he has a forever home here with us and the rest of the crew. Like most roosters, he loves treats (peanuts, especially), and he's really loud! He's very curious about the pigs, and they are about him as well. He loves exploring the woods and discovering new bugs. He's got the softest feathers, and he doesn't mind being picked up (which is great, because we love to cuddle him!). This boy is super happy. Welcome Phoenix!
