I received Norman as a little piglet, a gift from my mother for my birthday just after graduating from college. It was the beginning of the “pot-bellied pig craze” in the early ’90s, and many pigs were already in need of rehoming. I had mentioned to my mother that I wanted to rescue one, but instead she purchased Norman.

He was tiny and full of spirit when he first arrived. He loved doing laps around the living room, and once he tired himself out, he would retire to my bed, buried under the covers. As a young pig, he was a handful. One time, he escaped from the house, and I found him running with dogs and horses at a neighbor’s farm.

At the time, I had no idea how Norman would change my life. He quickly taught me that pigs were not dogs (as breeders had touted them to be) and that they required very different living conditions. They needed pig friends and lots of outdoor time—because pigs are so intelligent, they get bored easily. Norman had a tendency to bite people he didn’t know or like, but one of the things that truly made him happy was the arrival of his adoptive sister, Olive (followed by Jacob and Willoughby). Once he established a little herd, many of his behavioral challenges faded.

Norman also opened my eyes to the plight of homeless pot-bellied pigs and set me on a path to rescuing countless pigs from uncertain futures. I began working closely with several animal sanctuaries before eventually opening my own small sanctuary.

Soon after Norman came into my life, I decided to adopt a vegan lifestyle. I longed for a place where Norman and his family could roam freely and truly be pigs. That’s when the idea of moving to the country to open a vegan bed and breakfast began to take shape.