This Little Piggy & Me

Adoption and Rescue of Guinea Pigs

We are a husband and wife team who absolutely adore Guinea Pigs as pets and who have become dedicated to the rescue and adoption of these adorable little guys (and girls)!

THIS LITTLE PIGGY & ME is the name of our center which is a not-for-profit effort run completely out of our home. We are located in a northern suburb of Cincinnati, Ohio known as Forest Park. All of our cavies are housed in separate C&C habitats but together in one room of our home that we have totally dedicated to these wonderful little furballs called Guinea Pigs.

Our love of all of God's wonderful creatures began many years ago. I always had dogs in my life and to this day am the parent of Sam (an 11 year old Manchester Terrier who came into our lives when she was 6 weeks of age) and K.C. (a Lhasa Apso/Sheltie mix born on Christmas Day 2000). My husband, on the other hand, was always owned by a cat and, as a child, had a Guinea Pig. He could not quit talking about how cute, lovable and wonderful Guineas were as pets. After many long discussions regarding all the attributes of Guineas, we decided to add one to our lives. We visited our local pet shop on March 21, 2003 "just to look". (We were totally unaware that shelters for unwanted and abandoned cavies existed!) That's where I met Abby and immediately fell in love!! Of course it didn't hurt that she went straight for my shoulder to nuzzle, cuddle and coo when I picked her up. With that, I was hooked and she came home with us right there and then!!

When I took her to our vet for her initial examination (something everyone should do when obtaining a new pet), I was surprised to learn she was pregnant. (I later learned approximately 90% of pet store females are pregnant when purchased!) She presented us with four (4) of the cutest little balls of fur on April 3rd and they popped and back-flipped their way into our hearts as well. Her litter consisted of three (3) boys (boars) and one (1) little girl (sow).

S'Mores, the largest male, found a new home with lots of love and 2 children who simply adore him. Oreo, the middle boy, was adopted 09-26-04 and now resides in Louisville, KY. Spot, the smallest male, was a rather shy one and was bullied by the other two males. He began to go to work with me so I could talk to him more often and gain his trust and love. Caramel, the only female and the runt of the litter, grabbed onto my husband's heart and has never let go. She is his baby and they will never be separated. Our Guinea colony had grown to four!

I became known as the "Guinea Pig Lady", not only at our vet and pet shop, but at work and in the neighborhood!! The news spread and THIS LITTLE PIGGY & ME was born!!

Before we knew it, we were getting calls from all over asking if we could find a good home for someone's unwanted guinea pig. We were given the excuses of "I just can't keep it", "I just don't want it", "I've developed an allergy", etc., etc., etc. The absolute worst was "If you can't take them, I guess I'll just have to kill 'em". (Don't worry, he didn't get the chance. Romulus, Remus and Harrison are now among our Adoptables!) Never in my life would I imagine there could be so many who cared so little! As of today, October 12, 2004, there are 23 beautiful guinea pigs in our cavy community waiting for adoption plus our own little herd of 8. Our biggest day for piggies being released to us was 10-10-04 when seven (7)were added in just one day!!

So, COME ON IN TO OUR CENTER!!