Twenty pigs, one llama, one alpaca—The Pearly Acre fits right into Havelock’s rural landscape, but the philosophy that inspired it is very different from a standard farm. Founder Sarah Heydon, along with her husband Shane Curry, have turned their home into a sanctuary for animals that have been abused, abandoned, or just need a place to go.
Drive up the long lane to the barn and you’ll see pigs wandering casually around their pen. Most are happy to meet visitors and eagerly roll over for a belly rub or two. Archer, a young Landrace pig, scrabbles at a patch of grass by the fence. He’s not so worse for the wear these days, mostly recovered from breaking his pelvis after a leap from a transport truck.
Archer’s story might have ended there if Heydon and Curry hadn’t found him, but the reasons pigs end up at The Pearly Acre are many. “We run tours here every few weeks that give us an opportunity to educate the public about how we care for pigs and where they come from,” Heydon says, standing in the main enclosure. “I don’t know that it was necessarily meant to be just pigs, but that’s kind of how it started.”
Curry, who acts as The Pearly Acre’s facilities manager, laughs. “We were just starting to date back in the day and she says, I want to do something a little different. I don’t want a dog, I don’t want a cat. And then she showed up with a pig.”
The dawning realization pigs were going to figure big came with challenges. Neither Heydon nor Curry had any agricultural background, and started their odyssey in a 600-square-foot wartime home. Bullet’s charisma inspired Heydon to adopt two more pigs, at which point both human and animal residents needed a little more breathing space. They made the jump to a one-acre property on Stoney Lake before expanding again to their current location near Havelock.
With that move came the chance to lean into The Pearly Acre as an educational site. “Potbellies are purchased or rescued or adopted in certain stages of people’s lives,” Heydon says, referring to one of the most common reasons pigs end up at the sanctuary. “And then they realize very quickly how much care they need, and they go from being a really cool idea to a very high maintenance pet.”
She hopes that by raising awareness she can help prospective pig adopters make more conscious choices. That said, it’s surprisingly easy to be charmed by a pig’s sociable side. Heydon and Curry usually start their tours by sharing some pig facts and stories, before segueing into the meet-and-greet. “You really get to see what they’re like when they’re not behind a fence,” Heydon says. She adds the barn is off-limits to visitors, so that pigs in need of downtime can get out of the spotlight.
Tours can be booked through email or AirBnB, or guests can time a visit for the weekend after Halloween. Pumpkins make exceptionally good food for pigs, so donations of used jack-o-lanterns, provided they’re wax-free, are gratefully accepted. Afterwards, visitors can stick around for a mug of cider and a more open-ended tour.
The groups the Pearly Acre attracts tend to be diverse, but Heydon finds most share a willingness to have their eyes opened to the dignity of animals that are often overlooked. “Mostly, I find people don’t have a lot of expectations because they really know nothing about pigs,” she says. “People are generally surprised by their personalities, how willing they are.”
She recommends anyone curious about the experience visit the website, or check out some of their posts on Instagram. There’s no substitute, of course, for direct experience. Booking a tour has the added benefit of supporting The Pearly Acre’s day-to-day operations, and anyone inspired to help the cause can join the sponsorship program. “We have nothing but good experiences with people who come here,” Heydon says. “It’s just a joy for us to meet people, and people come from all over the place.”
That’s partly because her and Curry’s love for animals is infectious, but after a tour of the grounds, you may find the pigs’ personalities speak for themselves.
Visit ThePearlyAcre.com for more info or to book a tour
