Annie Oinkley & Frank Swineatra
Mini Pig Heroes at Midwest Pets for Life
The American Mini Pig Association is proud to present Annie and Frank with the AMPA Mini Pig Hero Award.
Annie Oinkley and Frank Swineatra have been making headlines in their hometown of Cinton Iowa and beyond. These social little therapy pigs came from Little Rooters Mini Pigs in Kentucky. Their mom Sandi Bartels runs Midwest Pets for Life, a 501c3 nonprofit organization dedicated to helping pets & their owners.
Sandi tells us about the important work Annie and Frank have set out to do:
“Well- who would have thunk that a couple of little pigs from Kentucky would ever win my heart… but it has happened and now as I continue to follow a handful of the mini pig pages, I see so many people with pampered piggies but I also see abuse, disposal, and the overpopulation at shelters, rescues and sanctuaries. How does someone get a little porcine prince or princess, only to dispose of them a short time later?? It’s because of these issues that Annie and Frank have become spokespigs for our organization, Midwest Pets For Life. We are using them to promote pet therapy, responsible pet ownership and the truth and myths about mini pigs.
We are a 501c3 animal welfare non-profit that caters toward low income, elderly, disabled and homebound citizens who can’t afford to care for both themselves and their pet. Certainly we hear the age old adage, “if they can’t afford to feed it, they shouldn’t have it”. And certainly I have probably said those same words at some time in my life. But people do sometimes stumble on this path we call life and that’s where we come into the picture. Clients must meet certain guidelines but we can help with food and litter donations, care for animals if someone needs to go into hospital and has no place for the animal to go, and so on and so forth. We also do low cost spay-neuter clinics and vaccination/microchip clinics for dogs and cats at this time. If the need becomes apparent in this area, we can always look into spay/neuter for the mini pigs. And that way, the pet can remain with the people who love and need it most. All of our food and litter is donated and the organization is run entirely with volunteers so all donations go toward helping keep the pet and the family together. The food and litter is provided at absolutely no charge to the client.
We are also in the process of taking on a no-kill shelter so hopefully by fall, we will be processing pet adoptions. And we also have an agreement with Clinton County Emergency Management that in the event of a disaster, either natural (tornado, flood, etc) or manmade (hoarding, abuse, neglect, etc) anywhere in the county or surrounding areas, we are the organization that will be called upon to oversee the rescue efforts of the animals involved. We were humbled to be asked to take on this task.”
Learn more about Midwest Pets for Life in Iowa or donate here.
Is your mini pig a hero? Tell us your story for the chance to be featured as an AMPA Hero on the American Mini Pig Association website.
Visit our website to learn more about mini pigs, find a registered mini pig breeder, become a member of the AMPA and register your mini pig in the official mini pig registry!
www.AmericanMiniPigAssociation.com
