Ironwood Pig Sanctuary

They're doing really great work here and it's home to 680 pigs. Countless volunteers and an owner who's dedicated over 20 years of her life to the pigs. We took the free tour on a Saturday and got to hear the stories of how the pigs came to the sanctuary and the incredible work they do to keep the pigs healthy and happy. It was so educational and we learned so much not only about pigs but the sanctuary. They meet the needs of all the pigs there whether that's sunscreen, special living quarters, medicine, etc. they work tirelessly to give these pigs a better life. At the end you can make a donation, buy their merch etc. They also have an Amazon wishlist you can support. It was easy to find and it does require you to drive down a dirt road. Make sure to bring water and wear walking shoes! They do have a bathroom on site that's indoors. It's also a beautiful drive out to their property !

A wonderful place with a wonderful purpose. Ironwood Pig Sanctuary houses abandoned pigs of all sizes and ages in their large desert property. They often host "open-house" events where the public is welcome to take a tour of their property and meet some funny pig characters! I went there with a group to volunteer (which I believe they do still allow), and it was so apparent that every member of the staff deeply cares for each and every pig (and there are hundreds of them!). It's a bit of a drive out, but so worth the time to see what a difference these people are making. I don't believe they adopt out any of their pigs since they have seen such a high turnover rate, but please consider volunteering or buying a t-shirt to support a great cause. :)

I've visited this sanctuary and was most impressed. The pigs were grouped into areas according to their age, vitality, personality and health issues. They were supplied blankets in the winter and little pools and shelter in the summer. The people who work there are so knowledgeable about each pig and their love and attentiveness for the pigs was evident. I've sponsored 2 pigs at once for awhile now. This sanctuary is amazing!

This place is amazing and so much fun if you're into random activities. The staff is lovely and the care they provide for all of the pigs is really wonderful. I had such an awesome time!

Ironwood is an incredible place! They rescue pigs and take great care of them. They're very knowledgeable about pigs and give great tours. A fabulous place to donate to.

This is an amazing place that really opens its heart to pigs that have been abandoned. The sanctuary provides free tours to the public, usually on Saturdays. But, they may be able to accommodate you on other days, like they did for my girlfriend and me. While they do not ask for a dime, I was more than happy to donate to such a wonderful place and cause. Taryn and Tim, the two guides on our tour, were friendly, helpful, and very dedicated to the cause.The only word of caution is that the sanctuary is located off the beaten path, to put it mildly. I would suggest driving out there in an all terrain or four wheel drive vehicle, if possible. The roads leading to the sanctuary are not maintained, and I was concerned that I would pop a tire. Nevertheless, my rented Hyundai accent survived the trip. And, one of the sanctuary staff members uses a similar front wheel drive car to get to and from the sanctuary.Everything considered, it was a great experience.

This sanctuary provides a home for abandoned or mistreated pot bellied pigs and finances itself mostly with donations. The pet boarding/sitting is not really their main job but rather an additional service they provide on the side. We went here for one of the tours the employees do for visitors. They currently do tours almost every Saturday. The tours start at 10am and are for free. From Tucson, it takes a bit longer than an hour to get there. Wear sunscreen and a hat (because of the sun) and sturdy shoes (because of the dirt).The tour was a lot of fun. The staff seems very committed and fond of the pigs and they were happy to answer all of our questions on the tour. We were led through a couple of enclosures and little fields where the pigs were hanging out. In every field/enclosure, the tour guide made a stop and explained a little about the sanctuary and the pigs and then gave us time to interact with the pigs before moving on. We were told to bring sliced apples so we could give the piggies treats (turns out they loooove apples) and we got to pet some of them (some were more shy and didn't want to be petted). They had little piglets running around, too. One of them started following us around after we fed it some apple slices, very cute. We were also able to take a lot of cool pictures of the piggies. All in all, the tour took about one hour and 15 minutes, I think. By the way, the place is not smelly at all, in case you were wondering, it smells pretty much like any other part of the desert. Conclusion: this was a great trip. So much fun watching and feeding the pigs. Will definitely come back.One note for parents, though: I think I would not bring small children here. When you feed the pigs, there is a chance they bite your finger. They don't mean to, they are just not so good at differentiating between the food and the hand that holds the food. One of them bit down on my fingernail and my friend also got nibbled on a little when we weren't paying enough attention. One of the piggies also started biting into my knee when I was squatting on the ground. So I am thinking that a small child might not be careful enough and get bitten while feeding the pigs. Besides, the pigs are not exactly eager to be petted by strangers, especially if you approach them quickly or stick out your hand too quickly. My guess is children would not be good at interacting with the pigs and would probably get a bit frustrated. I might be wrong of course, that's just my impression.

Such an amazing place! The pigs are so sweet and so loved for! :) Plus, they LOVE belly rubs!

Happy to be apart of this great organization. Cant wait for them to continue their updates this upcoming year

I'm so grateful the Ironwood Pig Sanctuary was able to accommodate me and my boyfriend on a Monday morning to take us on a tour of their facilities. It's a magical place with tons and tons of cute piggies that you can play with and pet (if the pig allows for it!). It's also a place for boarding your animal but me and my boyfriend were just interested in visiting and seeing what this sanctuary was all about.We arrived a little late for our tour time of 10am (we hit a bit of traffic and the unpaved roads close to the sanctuary in our little rental car forced us to drive sloooow) but Taryn and Tim were super nice and friendly and great tour guides. Tim even allowed us to go spend a little extra time with some of the first pigs we initially saw and wanted to go back to see. All in all we were there about 2 hrs...but I wish I could have been there another 10! Next time I will have to look into staying longer and possibly volunteering to make the trip from NYC a little more worthwhile. (although even 15 min would have been worthwhile because it really was that awesome!)Overall, it warms my heart what these people are doing to give pigs a second (fulfilling) chance at life. They should feel so good about themselves ever day that they wake up and do such incredibly selfless work for these amazing animals. I only wish someday I can do the same.So if you're in the area, go visit! And if not, consider sponsoring a delightful pig or donate to this wonderful sanctuary. I'm so happy I had a chance to experience this lovely place. It really is truly amazing!