Luna's Story: The FFA Pig Who Lived
If you follow us on social media, you know that Luna's adoption story sparked a lot of controversy within the agricultural community. This is because Luna was rescued from the Future Farmers of America program, or FFA, thanks to the courage of the sixteen-year-old girl who raised her, Catherine.
To us, Catherine is a true hero. We believe this young lady will go into the world and make a positive difference. Saving Luna was just the beginning of Catherine’s journey as an animal advocate. She is clearly a very courageous and determined person being raised in a family teaching her wonderful values. We are proud of Catherine and her whole family.
Catherine has decided to share her story:
Hello!
My name is Catherine Dickinson. I am 16 years old and I’m a Junior at a public Los Angeles County high school. My story about FFA (Future Farmers of America) isn’t the same story as everyone else. First of all, as soon as I saw Luna I instantly fell in love with her personality. She was the sweetest thing ever and you could see the love in her eyes. I picked her not for her looks but for her personality. I then made a promise to her saying “I’m going to save you baby girl no matter what.” She knew what I meant because I always talk to her. She would oink and grunt back at me. I then started the search for money to buy her and it would be about $600 but, to me, it was worth it. I couldn’t come up with the money to save her and I was devastated. After showing her at the Orange County Fair we went through auction and she only went for $2 a pound. I was upset because that meant it was official that I was selling her for slaughter. My mom walked up to me and said “We’re saving Luna,” and my heart stopped and I couldn’t believe it. I had kept the promise to my baby and I saved her. I ran to her pen and gave her the biggest hug and said: “We did it, you're coming home with us!” Her face immediately changed and I was crying and hugging her and she nuzzled me as if she was saying thank you.
I couldn’t have saved my piggie without my dad, my mom, my siblings, my friends who told me it was the right thing, and my boyfriend. When I saved my pig I got a lot of dirty looks and a lot of attitudes. My teacher told me “this is an embarrassment to our FFA chapter.” But I couldn’t care less. I kept smiling and I just brushed it off my shoulders like it was nothing because it was nothing. The whole way home she didn’t move and she was so fascinated with the street lights. When we got home it was already 11:00 p.m. We were all tired but we spent 2 hours unloading her. We would then reload her and take her to her foster in the morning. I woke up that morning and was told the foster fell through and she would stay with us for a week. I was still happy because she was alive and I didn’t betray her. I went out and she heard my voice and looked at me. I had never seen a pig smile ever before. I filled up the kiddie pool for her so she wouldn’t overheat. She would roll in it and then she started sleeping in the pool. That week was the best week of the summer.
I had the week to find her a home and my mom found an animal sanctuary. She got in contact and they said they normally didn’t take FFA animals. (Note: Tracey and Bill, the Co-Founders of Loving Farm Animal Sanctuary, require the FFA student to agree never again to participate in the FFA Animal Program, and not to put another FFA animal at risk, before they will consider adopting into Loving Farm. Also, they will not pay money for an animal. They believe animals are individuals, not products, and they will not give money to anyone who promotes the idea animals are commodities.)
We told Tracey and Bill: “We don’t want money we just want Luna in a forever home.” They agreed to pick her up and they drove about 7 hours here and 7 hours back to get her. It was a miracle. I spent about 4 hours with her that night and laid with her making sure she was happy. She always slept with a smile on her face. When Bill and Tracey came to pick her up she saw them and went straight for the gate like she knew she was going home to a safe place. We loaded her in less than 15 minutes. We sent her off and I was still heartbroken because I was going to miss her.
Best friends Catherine and Luna waiting for Tracey and Bill to take Luna to Loving Farm Animal Sanctuary. Catherine knew she was doing what was best for Luna but it was hard to say good-bye.
Luna now lives at Loving Farm Animal Sanctuary in Paso Robles, CA. She runs and plays with the other animals. She got spayed so she doesn’t get cancer or accidentally get pregnant. She gets to be a pig and not dinner. It’s also Loving Farm who I want to thank for saving Luna as well.
I think it’s good that kids know and understand where “meat” comes from and the process of it. Do I believe my school did it the right way? No. I completely disagree with the way they teach us and I don’t like the teachers at all. My story with Luna is unique. It shows what true love is towards an animal. It shows people that animals have feelings and they know what is happening. When it comes to loading them to be slaughtered they all freak out and panic. I hope this story changes people's views of slaughtering animals.
In the FFA program, they teach us to show an animal what it is to be loved and cared for, and then we betray them and send them to be slaughtered.
The pigs only live 6 months and steers live for 10 months and lambs and goats are 2-4 months depending on the size. So please help the animals live longer. Luna will be a year old on February 2 !! People are the voices of these animals. They just want to be loved and cared for. Thank you for reading my story and how I saved an animal with an “expiration date”. One thing I learned from this experience is to never give up and always have hope. “But as for me, I will always have hope.” Psalm 71:14.