Special Bond - Kelly and the three "little" pigs

Kelly is not just a HEEFS volunteer, she was also our sweet, dearly departed pig, Lenny’s very special masseuse! Kelly, a Registered Massage Therapist by day, started volunteering at HEEFS in 2017 and Len was the very first pig she had ever met. “I knew nothing about pigs and felt rather intimidated,” Kelly remembers. “But then I learned how to be with a herd and started to understand their complexity and nuances. At the time, and even through he was differently-abled, Leonard was the king of his herd. He called the shots.”

Lenny also had a tender side that he would often show to the people who had the privilege to know him. Kelly learned a lot from Leonard as she watched him command his herd while also taking the time to softly talk to the Fiona’s piglets in the stall next to him. “I learned from Leonard that who you are in this world is up to you. How you let others treat you is up to you and the only barrier you have is your own thoughts and beliefs about yourself.”

“Pigs understand much more than they are given credit for,” says Kelly. “And they are quite clear when they communicate. For humans, it can take a bit of time to learn pig!” But Kelly did learn to speak fluent “pig”. She had a lot of opportunity to practice her new language, particularly with Bobbie Girl. “On days when Leonard wasn’t quite ready for me, I would spend time massaging Bobbie or Hercules. One time, I told Bobbie that I had to leave, but as soon as I did, a familiar freckled snout appeared in my face. Bobbie was not finished with her massage and wanted me to know! I told her to go lay down on her other side, and I would come over and massage her. To my complete surprise she did just that. I was so in awe that she understood me and responded.”

While Bobbie is a sweet, kind soul, another of Kelly’s Special Bonds, Hercules, is just a bundle of joy. “The one thing about Hercules is that he lets you know how important you are every time he sees you,” laughs Kelly. “He can also be quite comical and likes to make his presence known. To summarize,” says Kelly, “pigs are magical!” Yes, they are.