It’s the time of the year for pumpkin spice and even pigs are getting in on the seasonal treat.
Well, not so much the spice part, but they love pumpkins.
The Kindness Ranch in Hartville, Wyoming, put out a plea last week for the public to bring it Halloween pumpkins instead of discarding them so the animals at the ranch — especially pigs — could enjoy the exotic treat.
So Cowboy State Daily rounded up a number of pumpkins and drove the 90 minutes to the 1,200-acre preserve on Friday to provide some autumn goodies to its residents.
Caretakers of the ranch, who provide homes and rehabilitation for lab test animals who would otherwise be euthanized at the end of their medical research experiments or clinical trials, were appreciative of the pumpkins but not nearly as much as the pigs.
“The pigs got their Halloween treats today! They all loved their pumpkins so much! Just look at Dream and the others living their lives to the fullest here with Daya,” caretakers wrote in a Facebook posting accompanied by many photos of the pigs enjoying the gourds.
“Pumpkins tend not to be a common thing at the sanctuary,” John Ramer, executive director of the ranch, told Cowboy State Daily last week.
The ranch had a big day on Saturday as well. Four of the more than 100 beagles it rescued recently were adopted.
“We want to thank each family for coming out. We would also thank them for giving Savannah, Cheyenne, Roselle, and Helena good homes. May they have many fond memories together. Safe travels back to your forever homes,” ranch officials said on social media.
Along with the other dogs and other animals, the Kindness Ranch also has several cats available for adoption. Like the other animals at the sanctuary, these felines that once were housed at product or medical testing facilities now live in the sprawling cat house overseen by their caretakers.
Anyone wishing to drop off a pumpkin or tour the ranch can do so, Ramer said. The Kindness Ranch is open Monday through Sunday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. For more information, call (307) 735-4177 or go to www.kindnessranch.org.
