800-pound pig recovering after being found shot, wandering in the woods in Whitehouse

NEAPOLIS, Ohio (WTVG) - The Good Shepherd is a sanctuary in Neapolis that cares for dozens of unwanted and abused farm animals. The volunteer-based organization took in an unusual case in recent months. Charles is an 800-pound pig that was found wandering in the woods in Whitehouse by a Good Samaritan last October. By the time he was rescued, Charles was tangled in thick underbrush and was having a reaction to eating poisonous berries.

“He is really very sweet,” says Christine Cox, founder of The Good Shepherd Animal Sanctuary. “We could not figure out where he came from because he had no tag, no brand, no tattoo, no microchip.”

After no one came forward to claim Charles, he was officially taken in by the Good Shepherd. Not long after that, Christine made an unusual discovery. What everyone thought were marks from being tangled up in the woods, turned out to bullet wounds.

“I keep this with me as a reminder of his story. It’s a 9mm slug,” she says. “It was protruding out of his face, so it was starting to migrate out of the flesh on his face. The vet extracted it, but he has others that are still lodged in his head.”

One of the bullets permanently affected his sight in one eye, but other than that, Charles is now living the good life.

“He runs, he plays. He does what I call popcorns. That is where he happily hops around,” says Christine. “He has lots of friends.”

Christine has been rescuing animals for more than a decade but shifted the focus to farm animals several years ago.

“I have a connection with every animal we have rescued,” she explains. “I don’t think there’s a day that goes by that I don’t cry, because so many of them have suffered so much. But it is rewarding to know that we are able to help them. I love knowing that I have helped a lot of animals, but it is a double-edged sword because I can’t help but think of all the others that still need to be rescued.”

The animals that will live out their days at the Neapolis sanctuary include cattle, goats, horses, chickens, ducks, and rabbits.

“I look around at all this, and I think how beautiful. And then all the tears come. They are happy tears though for sure,” says Christine.

The Good Shepherd is a vegan farm animal rescue. That means no by-products from the animals are sold, including things like milk or eggs. It is also a non-profit organization and is always in need of donations of time, money, and supplies. Volunteer training courses are offered in the spring and fall.

There are currently almost 100 animals living at the sanctuary. In addition to the farm animals, the rescue also works to find homes for cats.

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