Saint is a character with true charisma.  He came from a home where dogs jumped the fence, killed his mate and attacked him as well.  He is one of the first to come up for love and is a talker.  He is often heard across the pasture "whining" as if to say .... "MOM!  He's touching me!" .... he is a truly great pig and will live the remainder of his life within the network.

Billie the goat came to us from the same home as DeeDee. We like to call him our “problem child” because if there is something to get into, he will definitely find it. He is very affectionate and feels he needs to “taste” everyone’s clothing. Naturally curious, he will come up to you to see what you are doing and then think he is helping you by getting in the way. Billie will live his natural life here at the sanctuary.

DeeDee was surrendered to the sanctuary with Billie. She is very soft spoken and gentle, except when she has her head in food she shouldn’t have … then she can be very stubborn to move away! She is naturally curious and loves to be around you. She will come up for treats and gently follow you around. DeeDee will live out her natural life at the sanctuary.

Millie is a Great Pyrenees who was surrendered to the sanctuary when her owners could no longer afford her medical care and special diet. She came to the sanctuary very thin and suffering from severe skin issues. After medical treatment and a natural diet change, she is up to a healthy weight and her skin issues appear to be taken care of.  Millie is our livestock guardian and lives full time in the barn with her charges. She takes her job very seriously but loves to be around people and will sit and shake hands. Millie will live her natural life at the sanctuary.

Amy, Honey and Chief came to the Sanctuary through different avenues and at different times.  Each have their own stories but they all end up at the same place, here at the Sanctuary.  Because of the high occurrence of equines ending up at auctions and kill lots, these three and their friend, Sarge, will remain in the Sanctuary for their natural lives.

Asha is a special little girl who came to the sanctuary after being used as bait to train dogs to hunt pigs. Asha was mutilated by dogs including losing an ear. She came to us full of infection and terrified. After spending weeks at our medical foster home, Asha is fully recovered and will spend her natural life at the sanctuary.

Gracie was surrendered to the sanctuary with her friend, Julie. After living in 18” of their own muck in the inside of a small above-ground pool frame, she came to the sanctuary with poop balls hanging off her beautiful hair and the stench that comes along with it. Gracie is a gentle, loving, soul who will roll over for belly rubs and “help” by laying on your feet. Gracie will live her natural life here at the sanctuary with her friends.

Herbie was a shelter transfer from Jefferson County, Missouri south of St. Louis. Herbie was found as a stray and deemed “ferocious” by animal control. In reality, Herbie is a very scared pig who would rather stand back and watch than come into contact with a human. He is slowly learning he can trust his caregivers but has become close with Oofie at the sanctuary and will spend his natural life with her.

Julie was surrendered to the sanctuary with her friend, Gracie. After living in 18” of their own muck in the inside of a small above-ground pool frame, she came to us scared and shy. Julie is very vocal when it comes to food and you can usually hear her from across the property. She is bonded with Gracie and she will sleep tight to her in the straw. Julie will spend her natural life alongside Gracie at the sanctuary.

Oofie was the sanctuary caregiver’s pet mini pig. Adopted when she was 6 months old, Oofie is the dominant female of the herd and likes to remind those who tend to forget. She took Herbie in under her wing and the two of them sleep snuggled tight together in the straw.

Pickles was an owner surrender at the age of 9 years. After having lived with the same person since he was 6 weeks old, Pickles made the transition to living in the barn full time just fine. As an older pig, Pickles prefers to have his own stall and run where he can see all the action but go inside and take a nap when he feels the urge. He also likes to run the barn and “inspect” to make sure everything is just as it should be. He is a very handsome gentleman who will roll for a tummy rub when the need arises. Pickles will live the remainder of his natural life at the sanctuary.

Romeo was an owner surrender and is aptly named after impregnating two of his farm hogs. Romeo lived his first few years on gravel and enjoys laying in the sun in a pile of straw watching what is going on around him. He is a gentle boy who doesn’t care to intermingle with the other pigs too much, especially when he is getting his beauty sleep under a large straw pile. He is the silent type who you will feel pressed up against your leg as you are in the paddock.  He loves to be near people and just be.  Romeo will spend his natural life here at the sanctuary.

Maisy was sold as a "Chinese Micro Teacup" to unsuspecting people who couldn't handle her medical needs or size.  Because she was starved to stay small when she was with the breeder, Maisy suffered many seizures, including a grand mal.  She may have long term health care needs due to the starvation when she was very young.  Maisy was born in November of 2017 and has farm hog in her genes.  She is a very sweet girl who loves belly rubs and snuggling with her friends at the sanctuary.  Maisy will live her life out with her friends at the sanctuary.

Sparkles is a very special boy who has won the hearts over of anyone who meets him. A cross between a mini pig and a farm pig, Sparklez is quite large and has the personality to match. He likes to talk to you when he sees you, even if it is across the property! Sparklez is a gentle giant who prefers to lay in the sun and sleep where he can keep one eye on everything going on. He doesn’t care to be closed in a space and prefers to be able to go in and out on his own time frame. He has become somewhat of a ladies-man as a flock of chickens make a b-line to his place as soon as their coop is opened up in the morning. Some have even had sleep overs at his “crib” and we will often see Sparklez with chickens standing on his back. Sparklez will live his natural life at the sanctuary.

Smokey is a farm pig who has escaped death twice. The first time was when she was only 10 days old and the barn she was living in caught fire. To our knowledge, she was the only survivor. A nice man found her, treated her burns and kept her for two years safe from harm. When she broke out of her yard, animal control had a farmer come and get her and take her to his farm. She won him over (and animal control) who decided she was too dang nice to be put in with his slaughter pigs. She was transported to the sanctuary where she loves to run and play and spend time with the chickens who come to visit. Smokey will live her natural life safe at the sanctuary.

Stoli came to the sanctuary at the request of her owner. Stoli was loved by her owner who knew she needed a different place to live. Stoli was very overweight and had little exercise at her old home. With help from her owner, Stoli has been slimming down and has become the “barn” pig. Stoli has a mind of her own and loves to take walks to check things over during the warmer months. She greets everyone who comes to the barn and thinks they have all come just to see her. Stoli’s mom comes to see her often and will live the remainder of her natural life at the sanctuary.

Pickles Jr is a lady who grew up thinking she was the one and only.  She came with "spoiled pig syndrome" and it took a while for her to understand her place in the herd and that her caregivers are "top pig".  She has become a very loving and sweet gal who enjoys spending her days in the sunshine and getting belly rubs.  Jr, as we lovingly call her, will spend her natural life at the sanctuary with her friends.

Sarge is a 4 year old mini pony who came into the sanctuary after living 2.5 years chained up, not much physical contact with humans, and a stallion.  He is extremely shy and learning to trust.  Gelded in early 2017, he is becoming the pony he was meant to be without all the hormones.  He loves playing with Millie and chasing Honey around the horse pasture.  Sarge will live his natural life here at the sanctuary.

We have many different roosters here at the Sanctuary, including Mr. Bubble Gum Head (shown on the left) and Big Boss (shown on the right).  These roosters roam free during the day with whatever hens may choose to hang around with them and enter their coops at night to roost.  Because Roosters are in so much danger of becoming food on a plate or just plain left to fend for themselves, every rooster that arrives at the Sanctuary will live their natural life here.

Cock Fighting, although illegal, still happens in the United States.  When these "rings" get busted, many times the roosters are euthanized.  We were lucky enough to bring a few ex-fighters from a ring in Denver to the Sanctuary.  Shown here is "Merp", who fell asleep while we were working on his feet.  These roosters have a stigma of being mean and nasty.  While some do attack because of fear, most are very sweet and will accept cuddles and being held.  As you can see, Merp had his waddles and his comb removed through a process called "Dubbing", where a pair of scissors is used, without any pain blockers, to cut them off so as not to bleed as heavy during their fights.  These roosters lived a horrible life before rescue and we are honored to have the opportunity to educate the public on the abuse roosters often are subjected to.

Little Bug is a Saanen goat that was born on a goat farm.  At some point when she was a few days to a few weeks old, Little Bug had her rear right leg broken off and then suffered frostbite on both of her ears.  Because she was unable to force her way through her brothers and sisters for food, she became emancipated and was brought into the sanctuary instead of being killed for having no value for meat nor milk. 

It is with great sorrow we lost our little ball of love, Little Bug, on November 8, 2018.  She will always be a part of SonnyBoy Animal Sanctuary.  The nudge of her sweet nose touched many hearts and her loss was felt across these great United States.  We miss her greatly.  Rest in Peace, little one.  We love you.

SonnyBoy is home to a number of hens that have made their way here.  Each of them have a safe place to live their natural lives as a free range chicken, with their eggs either returned to them or given to the pigs for additional nutrition.