Some pigs, if allowed to eat and grow freely through their lifespan, can reach up to 1,000 pounds and 4 feet tall. Goats have long memories that can make them easier to train. Sheep and cows, when domesticated, can be just as affectionate as dogs.
But most people don’t ever experience this side of the animals deemed livestock in America, said Dave Swartz, co-founder of Sage Mountain, a farm animal rescue in Peoa. Most people have never even seen them up close.
That’s one of the reasons Swartz and Lauren Lockey founded the rescue in 2013 after purchasing 100 acres in the Wasatch Back.
“We bonded over the animal thing. And she was into horses — it was originally going to be a horse sanctuary. And then I thought, ‘Horses have it a little bit better. What about farm animals?'” Swartz said. “Every animal here, they’d all be dead. Every single one.”
He gestured to the fenced enclosure on the top of a sage-covered mountain. Sheep, goats and pigs mingled together, finding relief from the unusual summer heat. For the pigs, who don’t have sweat glands to help cool their bodies, that meant wading into a shallow, covered pond.
Slowly these animals were joined by people, invited to mingle with each other for the day’s celebration: the second birthday of piglets Amora, Francine, Pickles and River.
Though toddlers, these blonde, curly-haired babies were practically giants, already weighing hundreds of pounds and standing over knee height. They munched on celery and watermelon from guests’ hands, spoiled for the day.
The scene was a culmination of Lockey and Swartz’ vision for the rescue.
“The biggest part for me was being able to rescue animals and have people come out and meet a sheep, which you normally wouldn’t, and to learn that they’re so unique and they each have their little personalities, just like our dogs and cats,” she said.
She gave one of their older — and biggest — pigs Morgan a scratch. They rescued him after he fell from a transport truck destined for a finishing barn, where pigs are fattened up before slaughter.
Pigs are one of their main animals they rescue and an opportunity to educate visitors and social media followers on the pork industry.
“Pigs in the industry, they only live six months. Any bacon you eat, any pork, six months for slaughter,” said Swartz. “It’s hidden, and there’s a reason it’s hidden because you might say, ‘I’m not going to eat bacon,’ and that would be bad for the bacon industry.”
Swartz had gone plant based in 1999 after reading a pamphlet about the process of raising pigs for consumption.
Over 100,000,000 swine are slaughtered annually in the United States, according to a University of California Davis report. Within six months, they are born and fed to the market weight of around 250 pounds, then sent to slaughter.
That reality was shocking, said Swartz, and would never happen to an animal like a dog in this country. What’s the difference between the two, he thought.
“My dad, when he came home from work, it wasn’t, ‘Where are my children? Where’s my wife?’ It was, ‘Where are the dogs?’ The dogs could do no wrong. So there was always an importance of dogs, and I grew up with dogs,” he said. “I couldn’t differentiate between the dog and the pig, where one would send you to jail, and one would call you a rancher.”
Together with Lockey, they rescued their first two pigs — Wilma Jean and Ponyboy — in 2017 after completing an enclosure on the property. Now the rescue has nine pigs, eight chickens, seven cows, five sheep, four turkeys and three goats, all featured with their stories on the website, sagemtn.org, and available for monthly sponsorship.
A few of their cows have come to Sage Mountain through the Utah 4-H Livestock Program, said Lockey. Through this program, kids in Summit and Wasatch counties in grades three through 12 learn “leadership, citizenship, self-esteem, social, and livestock skills, to learn about the science of livestock selection, care, and management,” the Utah State University website says.
“It’s a great program because they’re teaching kids how to care for animals, but then the end is a little backwards because then they have to walk them onto a transport truck to go to slaughter auction,” Lockey said. “These kids will just be bawling. … (They) are like, ‘I do not want to do this.'”
Star, Bradley and Benji are three cows who found their permanent home at the rescue after their young 4-H participating owners opted out of sending them to slaughter.
For the people who visit Sage Mountain, these animals make a big impact.
“Over the last couple of years, it’s really morphed into this place for people to come in and heal, too, especially during COVID. People being able to come out and connect with another being and feel accepted,” Lockey said.
This was the case for Alyssa Poulsen, a long time volunteer and now animal care specialist.
“Just getting to spend time with the animals, they’re really great and it’s just super peaceful up here. It’s a sanctuary for animals but also for humans,” she said. “I came up here one time and then just couldn’t stop coming back and it’s been my favorite ever since then.”
With a full load of animals and the increasing extremes in Park City-area weather, Lockey and Swartz are beginning construction on a large barn designed to house all the animals in the winter.
Deep snow like in the last few winters have made caring for the animals extra difficult on their staff and volunteers, Lockey said. Plus, the four-feet high enclosures are easily covered in snow, meaning it’s easy for the animals to wander off. A barn would make it easier to feed and keep track of their animals, so they are working to fundraise $50,000 to cover costs of construction.
Plant-Based Palooza, their biggest fundraising event of the year, is scheduled for Aug. 24. Tickets are $90 per adult, $35 per child 12 and under, and include a plant-based catered meal by Blatch’s Backyard BBQ.
“I had this idea years ago: what about some sort of spoof on farm animal auction, like we make it a good thing? So we decided to do a sponsor auction. So everyone still gets a bidding number, paddle, and then we have an auctioneer up there,” Lockey said. “People will bid quite a bit, and then they sponsor the animal for a whole year for a certain amount per month. And every animal is always sponsored.”
Other ways to connect with Sage Mountain and learn more about their rescue efforts is through their Tuesday night “Wine Down Yoga” classes led by Lockey, who is also an experienced yoga instructor of 25 years. The 45-minute classes are held at 6 p.m. on a platform overlooking the animal enclosures and is followed by a “sip and stroll” to visit with the animals. Tickets are a $35 donation and can also be purchased on their website.
Anyone is also welcome to attend group volunteer sessions on Saturdays from 9-11 a.m., where chores include scrubbing bowls, mucking and replacing bedding, followed by time spent with the animals.
“Animals just have that way of accepting whoever you are and loving and silliness. And so I think that’s a huge part of why this has been successful in the last couple of years, and I want to do more with that,” Lockey said.