Mission Statement

The Ironwood Pig Sanctuary is dedicated to eliminating the suffering of pot bellied pigs in Arizona and surrounding states by promoting spaying and neutering, assisting owners and other sanctuaries, and providing a permanent home in a safe, nurturing environment for those that are abandoned, abused, neglected, or unwanted.

We are home to over 600 pot bellied pigs.

Do You Want To Donate?

The Ironwood Pig Sanctuary is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization and any donation is tax-deductable. It just takes a few minutes to make a secure donation by PayPal using your credit card. Click the donate button to make a donation. You do not need a PayPal account.

Introductory Video of the Sanctuary.

Winter Is Here!!!

From the President

Happy New Year to all of you from all of us and welcome to 2012 and another year of stories about the many pigs here at Ironwood. We, and especially our pigs, are so very glad you are here with us making this a year of possibilities and of dreams come true to many who are now homeless or living in abuse or neglect. We hope you will stay with us as we enjoy the highs of breathing a sigh of relief that another pig has been saved today. We watch their personality develop as we get to know them individually and they emerge from their shell after being suddenly uprooted from what and who they knew to this strange place and strange voices. Soon they will be at the gate and anxious to get their breakfast with all the others, knowing that they are safe and out of harm’s way.

As I reflect on the year past, I look back over our records and see that 57 more pigs have come through the gate at Ironwood, most of whom will be with us for the rest of their lives. As I leaf through the records each pig’s story flashes before me and they are all poignant. Most are a tale of neglect, abandonment or abuse while others are shattered lives of families who have had to reluctantly release their pig to us. Whatever their reason, we welcome them to their new home. In time they make their way into one of our herds, be it large or small. Sadly, our attrition was great as well. Many lived their lives to the fullest here and have now continued their journey to make room for those that have come to us this past year and those who will come to live with us in this new year.

While I like to think that a new year brings new hope and fewer homeless animals of all kinds, this has never been the case, so we must be prepared to meet the challenges ahead. This will not be an easy task as the largest portion of our herd is ever older. Each day we meet their challenges and deal with each crisis that we are faced with.

The New Year brings more pigs in need of a home and with your support we will be able to continue to rescue these pigs and provide them a good home.

PS: When I think of not saying yes to Duke or Penelope or Buddy, I think of what would happen to them if we did not take them in and that increases my resolve to continue to provide a sanctuary able to fulfill the needs of these innocent pigs.

Ironwood Celebrates Eight Years!

Shown here are many of our first pigs five years after our opening. Many of you are making this journey with us and you may recognize many of them from issues past.

June 10, 2001 we officially opened the doors of the Ironwood Pig Sanctuary. Claire and Popeye arrived that evening. Then on June 11th Misty and Tully came, June 12th Owen and Taylor, June 14th a litter of babies, June 15th Oreo came to our home and June 30th Blossom arrived along with Eddie and Flapjack. That rounded out our first month and filled the 8 pens we had constructed at that time, and the overflow went to our home and introduced me to my dear beloved Oreo.

Soon thereafter Pearl, Princess, Bubba, Mr. Pibb, Arnold, Benjamin and Oliver, Desiree, Pammy, Corky and so many others followed them. We built more pens and they were soon full, and we anxiously awaited the completion of our large 6-acre field. With a sigh of relief, our field was completed in early Oct. 2001 and we began the hard process of releasing our pigs out of the pens and into the fields. This is never an easy task since pigs sometimes fight furiously for their position in the herd, so these first few days were a prelude of what was to come and the beginning of subdividing our new large field to suit the capabilities and ages of our new family.

Since those early days in 2001 so much has changed. Our facility has grown and we now have a good well and storage for 40,000 gals of water. We hope to have power by this summer, and our staff continues to grow to meet the growing needs of our pigs. A large herd of pigs arrived from Pigs*A*Lot in January of 2002, as well as a small herd of less-able pigs from there. These became our East and West fields. Ben, Donna, and I had volunteered there and some of those pigs, like my Wilma, were the reason Ironwood became a reality. I had come to love some of the pigs so much and as Pigs*A*Lot grew to overflowing and more calls came in to take pigs we decided the only solution was for us to open another sanctuary. Of course this was not the solution nor will it ever be. The only solution is to stop the breeding, which we try to do every time we have the opportunity.

The years passed and more homeless pigs arrived and more field divisions were made. Nineteen arrived from a sanctuary near Phoenix and 7 from a large Florida rescue. In May of 2003 we purchased the Annex property, previously Pigs*A*Lot, where we had our beginnings, and our family grew by nearly 90 pigs. In July of 2004 St. Matilda’s was unable to continue and our family grew by 46, and in September of 2004 the final 30 pigs from Pigs*A*Lot were back home at our Annex.

We now have 440 (2006) (we have 540 in 2008) pigs living at our two facilities. We continue to take in more pigs as we find homes for others and are making every effort to keep our numbers stable. In all, over these five years, well over 600 pigs have been a part of Ironwood. Many have gone on to new homes and others have lived out their lives with us. We have been happy and fortunate to provide them a safe nurturing environment for the rest of their journey. Our lives are now co-mingled and we are making the journey together.

Employees Needed

Animal Care Providers

WANTED: Trustworthy, caring person who loves animals to live at and work at the Ironwood Pig Sanctuary, a non-profit pot bellied pig sanctuary located near Marana, AZ, a rural area of southern Arizona one hour drive north of Tucson. Experience with working with animals and medical knowledge is a plus. The ability to work with others is necessary.

This is HARD work. Job duties include, but are not limited to, cleaning pens and fields, feeding, hands-on care of pigs who are disabled, injured, or sick, or general animal care and help with trimming tusks and hoofs. Handling 50# bags of feed and assisting with moving bales of hay to the various feeding stations. Must be willing to work some weekends and holidays as necessary. Five day work week is standard.

Housing is free and consists of one of the following depending upon availability: a bedroom with private bath and large walk-in closet, a 40 foot completely self contained 5th wheel trailer, a 33.5 foot completely self contained 5th wheel trailer, a 35.5 foot completely self contained 5th wheel trailer and a bedroom with shared bathroom. Utilities are provided. TV and high-speed internet access are available in all accommodations. We can accommodate companion animals.

References and background are checked. No drugs period. Non-smoker and vegetarian preferred.

The Ironwood Pig Sanctuary is located in Marana, Arizona on 80 acres in a beautiful Sonoran desert habitat. The climate is moderate in winter and hot in summer. Summer daytime temperatures can be in the 100's with nighttime temperatures in the 60's-70's. The surrounding mountains are perfect for hiking. Southern Arizona is a premier bird watching area.

We are looking for a dedicated person who is ready to commit to the care of unwanted and abused pot bellied pigs. Is that YOU?