Romance comes in all shapes and sizes, as the animals of Ballydídean Farm Sanctuary can demonstrate.

Pigs, goats and chickens are among some of the couples that call the Clinton-based farm sanctuary home. Their strong bonds continue to inspire.

Amazing love stories abound, including that of Arnold and Mama Ollum and their seven piglets. Ansel Santosa, who owns Ballydídean with his wife Sarah, said the pigs came from a neglect case referred to them by the Island County Sheriff’s Office in 2023. Back when there was no animal control officer on staff, it was common for cases to be referred to Ballydídean.

The pigs were subsisting on a diet of Reese’s Puffs and light beer – the same as their former owner – when the Santosas took over their care.

“Arnold was fiercely defensive of his wife and his babies, which is totally understandable,” Ansel said. “So we definitely didn’t hold that against him.”

Once grown, the piglets were adopted out to loving homes, with at least four of them still located on Whidbey. Arnold and Mama O ended up staying at Ballydídean. The couple were inseparable, but not friendly enough for tours.

Eventually, the pigs realized they were in a safe space and began to trust humans more. Now, they are some of the first two animals to approach tour groups at the farm sanctuary. Arnold will roll over to accept cuddles.

“I think it’s a really beautiful story of enduring a hardship and coming out stronger together, where they went from one of our most challenging cases to one of our top couples on tours,” Ansel said.

Love can happen at any age, even for those in their golden years. Such is the story of Grout and Beatrice, a pair of geriatric goats. Many goats that come to the farm sanctuary are the last of a shrinking herd, Ansel said, and this was the case for 12-year-old Grout and 16-year-old Beatrice.

The two have a classic “black cat and golden retriever” relationship, with Beatrice being shy while Grout is more outgoing in seeking attention from people.

“Grout and Beatrice are a great example of the kinds of late-in-life romances that we often see from the older animals that come here,” Ansel said.

Further proof of this is the tale of Jackie, an adventurous old hen, and Sven, a young rooster who runs after her to make sure she doesn’t get eaten by eagles.

Though she stopped laying eggs long before she came to the farm sanctuary, that didn’t stop Jackie’s maternal instinct.

“She was previously known for being our most prolific mom,” Ansel said. “She has adopted and raised all the chicks that have ever came to the sanctuary.”

Sven, on the other hand, was part of a bachelor flock of feral roosters living in the woods. His situation is not uncommon, Ansel explained, as some people raising chicks abandon the roosters when they find out they’re not hens. Currently, Ballydídean has a total of nine roosters.

“He’s just about Jackie and he will follow her wherever she goes,” Ansel said of Sven. “Much to his frustration, she likes to go a lot of places.”

Often, Jackie will hop the fence, begging for crackers. She also enjoys digging through food scraps in the yard.

“He’ll come sprinting out of the chicken run following her, frantically looking around, making his alert noise,” Ansel said.

Love knows no bounds when it comes to the aging hen and her young protector.

Photo provided by Ballydídean Farm Sanctuary. Jackie the hen digs through some food scraps under the watchful eye of her protector, Sven the rooster.

Photo provided by Ballydídean Farm Sanctuary. Beatrice, left, and Grout are a bonded pair of geriatric goats.