Early in the morning on Tuesday, November 10th, our staff said goodbye to Bernadette—a long-time resident of the farm walk and beloved member of the Lollypop Farm family. At 10 years old, Bernadette’s quality of life was sharply declining, and it was clear that this sweet farmyard friend was in terrible pain. Looking back, Bernadette’s life at Lollypop Farm was filled with sunny days spent in the pasture, pumpkin snacks around Halloween time and so much love from our staff and visitors.
Bernadette was just a 5-month-old piglet when she first came to Lollypop Farm from the Erie County SPCA in 2010. Our staff fell in love with her, and it was decided early on that Bernadette would become a permanent resident at Lollypop Farm. Unlike her smaller potbellied pig friends who would grow to be approximately 150 – 180 pounds when they reached maturity, Bernadette was a Hampshire farm pig, destined to tip the scales at over 500 pounds!
As a young pig on the farm, Bernadette was sweet and intelligent, and took quickly to all sorts of activities. She could go for walks on a harness and “sit” on command! In her later years, Bernadette loved chowing down on pumpkins around Halloween time and relaxing in the sunny pasture with her farmyard friends.
Bernadette was a much-loved and very recognizable feature of the farm walk for many, many years. Staff and visitors alike would say hello to Bernadette as they passed her pasture—she would sometimes even come by the fence to greet people if called by her name!
Her presence will be sorely missed on the farm, and we will certainly never forget this big beautiful pig. “You were an amazing lady Bernadette,” said Joanna Dychton, Farm and Safety Manager at Lollypop Farm. “You brought joy to everyone who ever met you. Your presence in the farm will be greatly missed… we have a 550+ pound hole in our hearts that will take some time to heal.”
Read more about Bernadette’s life at Lollypop Farm.
