An Oregon Navy veteran is getting a fresh start in Chicago after living months in his car with his dog and a 250-pound potbellied pig.
Tony James was looking for dog food and gas for his car when a community outreach team of Portland paramedics asked how they could help. It was the pig in the back of James’ car that caught their eye.
“You know, we just don’t know why people are in the situation they’re in,” paramedic Aaron Botteron said.
“Wait a minute, and then we realized it was a pig, and that was a whole different situation,” EMT Jethro Warnke said.
That situation was Roscoe, the potbellied pig. Tony has a dog, too, named Elvis.
In August, Tony’s girlfriend of 13 years died of a heart attack. Just a month before that, the couple and their pets moved into a car after a string of tough breaks.
The paramedics who listened to Tony’s story thought of Portland’s reunification program, which connects people living on the streets with loved ones.
They called Tony’s father in Chicago, who was on board to have his son come home.
Another team member called a farm sanctuary, which agreed to take the pig, Roscoe, right away.
“There’s gonna be a lot of tears,” James said. “I just hope he doesn’t uh, augh! He’s like my child.”
The sanctuary said Roscoe is settling in at their farm.
Volunteers promise to keep in touch with Tony, in the hopes that one day he can bring Roscoe home again.
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