Meet Our Founder and Operator

Founder/President

Elaine West

Elaine West founded Rooterville Animal Sanctuary Inc. with the help and support of her late husband and partner Dale West, in 2004. Elaine was disabled after a car accident in 2011 and Dale passed away in 2015, leaving her to manage the operation of the sanctuary, a daunting task! She did not back down, showing her undying commitment to help the animals and share them with as many people as possible.

Today, Elaine serves as president and leads a team of three that handle everything in the daily operations of the business and upkeep of the sanctuary, as well as caring for the amazing, happy animals that call the sanctuary home.

I grew up around farms and farmers. Of all the animals, I loved the pigs the best. There is nothing cuter than a baby pig. In my youth, I nursed many runts to health. When potbellied pigs came to the US, I had to have one. So, I saved up and bought two! It was no surprise my first rescue was a little gray potbellied pig who won me over at hello when she rolled over for her belly rub at the sound of a friendly voice at a local Humane Society that was giving her away to be eaten. That little pig changed everything!"

We are not able to take in anymore animals at Rooterville, the best advice we can give is to get on Facebook and find the pet pig groups and share piggies with them and pray for a private person willing to take in an extra pig or two and change the world for them.

Background

Elaine West founded Rooterville Animal Sanctuary Inc. in 2004 with the help and support of her late husband and partner Dale West who died unexpectedly in 2015. A disabled widow, Elaine works tirelessly to keep up with everything in the daily operations of the business and upkeep of the sanctuary, as well as overseeing the care of the amazing animals that call the sanctuary home.

IAt Rooterville, our animals get the best care in an interesting environment in which they can express their natural behaviors. Animals are not kept in pens or forced to live in filth or on dirt. Grass, trees, ample fresh water and good forage and feed are important for them to live their best life.

When their health fails or they are not living a good quality of life, they are humanely euthanized to keep them from suffering. We wish they could all live forever but that is not reality and when an animal is suffering, the kindest thing is to humanely let it go.

For folks who eat animals--consider this: those animals are brutally raised, transported and slaughtered while they are still babies. Every piece of meat from the grocery store or restaurant comes from factory farmed animals. Please take a look at how those animals are "grown" and "harvested" and think about how the animals you eat lived and died for you to enjoy eating them when there are innumberable things to eat and enjoy made without cruelty and suffering (not to mention growth promoters like estrogen and ractopamine, which go into your body to do nasty things too.)

A plant based diet is not only kind to animals, it is kind to the planet and our own bodies. Try it for 30 days and see!