Grace Erb and her mother Kelli Stark stopped by the Tuscarawas County Humane Society Tuesday to pick up Annie, a golden retriever abandoned overnight last week outside of the shelter. They will be back next week for Hermione, a pot-bellied pig that was also dropped off along with the dog. (Tuscarawas County Humane Society)
New Philadelphia, Ohio - A dog and a pig left abandoned overnight last week outside of the Tuscarawas County Humane Society are getting to live out their happily-ever-after together on a Stark County farm.
THCS staff member Ashlie Yoder says Annie the golden retriever and Hermione the pot-bellied pig have both been adopted by the Erb family, who own and operate the Maple Wood farm and equine therapy center near Louisville. She says Annie went home with the family Tuesday and Hermione will follow once she has completed her medical treatments.
"She was cleared to go home and she was actually able to leave yesterday with her new owners, and the pig, we have a couple of vaccines to give it this week and trim her hooves and then she’ll be all cleared to leave probably this weekend or early next week, so they’re both going home and they’re going to the same people," she says.
Their adopter, Grace Erb, says her family has years of experiencing rescuing and caring for all kinds of different animals so when she heard about Annie and Hermione and what happened to them, she knew the farm would be the perfect place for them.
"When I was younger, I got into rescuing mini pot-bellied pigs, and we have raised a little bit of everything on our farm, and we have educational programs. We have riding teams and lessons and things like that, and our first farm dog was a golden retriever, and he was my best friend, and we’ve had many dogs since then. He passed away a few years ago, and we’ve always had a really soft spot in our hearts for goldens," she says.
Erb says the family put in an application and got a call back within in hours saying that they had been approved to adopt both animals.
"They will never be separated. They will always be together, and she loves her piggy friend. We got a chance to meet the pig yesterday. Annie was so excited and she was dancing around her pig friend. She was just so excited to see her again," she says.
Yoder says they’re so happy that Annie and Hermione’s story has a happy ending, although she says they still have a lot more animals in need of loving homes.
STACEY CARMANY, TUSCO TV