12/27/2025
My apologies that we haven’t been as active of late…… but we have a
sad update on Dudley.
We wanted to wait until after Christmas to share this with those who have followed Dudley’s story since the day he was found in Louisiana—staked to the ground with a six-foot rope embedded in his neck, awaiting an imminent death as he was being held captive to become Christmas dinner.
Dudley stopped eating, began standing and straining to use the bathroom, and then became so weak he could no longer stand. With determination—and Tommie’s brute strength—we managed to get an immobile 500-lb farm pig into our trailer and rushed him to a local veterinarian. We didn’t believe he could survive the four-hour trip to Texas A&M.
An ultrasound showed his bladder was so severely enlarged that the vet could not visualize his other organs. They attempted to catheterize him, but as anyone familiar with pigs knows, their anatomy makes this extremely difficult. A mass was felt in his p***c area, but it could not be identified because the bladder blocked everything on the ultrasound.
We were given three options: attempt another local veterinarian (who ultimately declined and referred us to Texas A&M), transport him to A&M with a very high risk of his bladder rupturing during the trip, or make the heartbreaking decision to let him go.
We believe 100% in giving every animal in our care every possible chance at survival—but we are 1000% against forcing an animal to suffer. We could not risk the unimaginable pain Dudley would have endured if his bladder ruptured en route to A&M. With broken hearts, we chose to have him peacefully put to sleep and brought him home to be buried.
Dudley deserved so much more time, and we struggle with the feeling that we failed him in that way. But we also know that the time he had here was filled with love, safety, and kindness—the best life he could have known for as long as he had it.
We are devastated. I cannot seem to stop crying every time I think about him. Dudley will never be forgotten. In his honor, we plan to establish a five-year memorial scholarship at Texas A&M to help support a student who will provide care and treatment to farm pigs—so that one day, they may be seen as more than livestock, but as the gentle, deserving souls they truly are, and never turned away in their hour of need.
Dudley was loved by so many. He was the sweetest big boy, and his memory will live on forever. 💙🐷
