Relish and Pickles: A Porcine Love Story, You Decide the Ending

Mountain View, Calif.—What started out as casual interest has blossomed into an affair of the heart between a pair of young pigs and a Silicon Valley executive.

It all began a few months ago when David Lamar, a Silicon Valley entrepreneur, and avid runner, was charmed by Relish and Pickles. The sibling pair of piglets, born six months ago, are kept for viewing at the historic Deer Hollow Farm in Mountain View’s Rancho San Antonio Park. Lamar says he would often take breaks during his runs to visit with Pickles and Relish, watching the pair romp and play as children do. As time progressed, a bond would form and eventually lead to a fateful friendship. A friendship that will change the course of 2 pigs’ lives -- and Lamar – forever. A soft-spoken man with a powerfully big heart, he found himself caught in a web of compassion for a creature whose sensitivity and intelligence has been compared to that of dolphins.

Indeed, when Lamar discovered that 6-month-old Relish, the male pig, was to be sent this month to slaughter, he felt called to do something about it. “People rush to help save a beached whale, rescue a dog abandoned on a freeway or help an injured animal,” says Lamar. “Why not two little pigs?” Lamar approached the town of Mountain View with an offer to buy Relish. It took weeks of negotiation with park staff and city council before the town would finally agree to his sale.

Now with the aid of San Rafael’s In Defense of Animals (IDA) and Healing Hearts Sanctuary of Arizona, the 6 month old Relish has been granted a one way ticket to hog heaven. He will be picked up from Deer Hollow Farm on Valentines’ Day and become an ambassador for a different kind of love. The kind that comes from a compassionate heart with a bigger purpose.

However, the fate of Relish’s sister, Pickles, is yet to be determined. The city of Mountain View refuses to release her, insisting she must remain to breed. To date, Lamar’s considerable efforts to keep the brother and sister pair together have failed.

Those whose lives have been touched by this story are rallying on Pickle’s behalf. But more effort is needed.

Concerned individuals are encouraged to call or write to: Deer Hollow Farm, City of Mountain View Recreation Department, P.O. Box 7540, Mountain View, CA 94039 (650) 903-6430 and ask them to release Pickles too so that she and her brother Relish can remain united for the duration of their natural lives. This simple act of kindness can help make this a love story with a happy ending.

“We have an opportunity here,” says Lamar, “to teach our children that they have the power to make a difference and that no act of compassion goes uncounted.”