Two days ago I visited a farm animal sanctuary In Austria, after running an animal communication workshop in Vienna. Its been my dream for a long time to be able to co-habit a property with non human animals like pigs, chickens, cows and sheep, so I have been visited sanctuary’s whenever I have the opportunity to both spend time with the animals and also get ideas.

What an amazing place, home to 300 animals of many different species. I let myself in the gate and was greeted by 6 dogs of various sizes. They led me to an enclosed outdoor area where a man and woman were preparing plates of vegetables for various inhabitants of the sanctuary. A door from this area led to the first barn, where the pigs live. I laughed as I greeted the first pig, he was a happy soul and very friendly, I felt this in my heart before we had any interaction. I gave him a scratch and he soon rolled over for a belly rub. He grunted and groaned in delight and the smile on my face was wider than you could possibly imagine. He was in a stall covered with hay, one of about 8. All have their doors wide-open leading to a central corridor, which led to the outdoors.

I walked down to greet two pigs who were in the back stall. I immediately sensed one of them was sad, she said to me “I want to go outdoors”. I felt confused; knowing usually at a sanctuary there is freedom between staying inside and going outside.
I asked the sanctuary manager, “Can they go outside?”
He replied, “Yes” and pointed to the door at the end of the barn. I walked up and had a look. Yes, they can walk out the door, along a concrete walkway and into a huge paddock.

We walk around the paddock, with pigs, horses and a donkey. I cannot even see the fence lines in the distance; it is one of the largest paddocks I have ever seen for pigs.

She is in the barn by herself now. And then I understand her comment. We return to the food preparation area. Someone is pushing at the door trying to come through. She wants to come outside, on the other side of the barn where the food is, not go out into the paddock! It all makes sense. The sanctuary manager says, “She does the same every day”.

I like her a lot and hope she gets her wish one day .