Pa Local Heroes: The Veterinarian Behind A Growing Farm Animal Rescue

The first farm animal that Karen Phillips rescued was a stray piglet named Isaac.

“Years and years ago,” she recalled, Phillips was a veterinarian working at a Pittsburgh shelter when she came across Isaac in a kennel that neighbored a rottweiler’s.

“He was obviously scared to death,” Phillips said of the pig. “So I ended up taking him home.”

The experience showed her that farm animals were just as sensitive, personable, and intelligent as pets. “He was just as smart and learned better manners than my French bulldogs had,” she said with a laugh.

Taking Isaac home also laid the groundwork for w...