There is no denying the special power of family pets.
Animals have a way of making everyone's heart melt, regardless of if they're normally affectionate or not.
My family and I loved our little kitty so much; he was definitely always the center of attention whenever we were all together!
Pets are as much a part of the family as their human counterparts, and they can inspire in us the most powerful feelings of love and compassion.
For some people, their family dog is the one they love to spoil, while others have furry felines like my family had.
But Steve Jenkins and his partner Derek Walter have a family pet that's a little bit out of the ordinary—a 600-pound pig named Esther!
Originally thought to be a mini pig, Esther became the focal point of the family when she ballooned to her full weight.
She also inspired an entire movement against animal cruelty!
Check below to read the sweetest message that her daddy wrote to her, and learn more about her incredible backstory.
[H/T: The Dodo]
When Steve Jenkins and his partner Derek Walter adopted little Esther, they were told that she was a mini pig.
Almost immediately, they had their heart stolen by the baby, who would run around the house with their dogs and cuddle them at night.
They also realized something else about Esther as she got older— she was definitely not mini!
Wrongly advertised in order to be sold, Esther grew and grew, until she weighed over 650 pounds!
But Jenkins and Walter were too smitten to let her go, and she is still their baby to this day.
In addition to capturing their hearts, she also inspired them to make their own farm sanctuary called the "Happily Ever Esther Farm Sanctuary," where they rescue animals just like her from harm and abuse.
There is no doubt that the powerful pig has inspired a legacy—so much so that Jenkins wrote her the sweetest letter about their time together.
Check out the sweet letter to "Esther The Wonder Pig" below.
"Dear Esther,
"Four years ago today we met you for the very first time.
"I'll never forget the way you trembled and looked up at me from the laundry basket you were delivered in.
"Your tiny little sunburned ears, and those chipped pink nail polished toes.
"You looked so sad!"
"I took you home much to your other dads' surprise, and although he wasn't very happy with me for a few days, the magic of 'The Esther Effect' was already at work.
"We watched you play with the dogs, run to your toy box, and shake your little head like crazy with your teddy bears.
"We cuddled while you fell asleep, and we taught you the rules of the house….which you broke constantly in your own hilarious way.
"We would laugh and play, forgetting entirely what was going on around us.
"It was only a matter of time before that amazing smile did its thing.
"You had completely stolen our hearts."
"But in the process you also took something else from us, our ability to ignore what you were born for.
"We learned what it meant that you had a stubby little tail and that you were in fact not the mini pig we thought you were.
"We had never given it a second thought before, but all of a sudden we found ourselves making the connection."
"You were supposed to spend the first three years of your life in a crate delivering baby after baby that would be taken from you.
"Then before long, you yourself would've been taken away when you grew too tired to produce.
"You were supposed to be someone's dinner, someone who like us didn't realize the intelligent, emotional, and sensitive animal you are."
"Although we take comfort knowing we made that connection, and that you're safe and always will be; I'm sorry we participated in this and that it took us so long to realize that we could do better.
"I'm sorry for the horrible things people do to your kind in a hell on earth that we created for you, and I'm most sorry that you never got the chance to know your mom, your dad, or any of your beautiful brothers and sisters.
"We would give anything for the chance to reunite you."
"We hope you take comfort in knowing you're helping to open hearts and minds every single day, and we hope you know how much you are loved. You made us the people we are today, and we will forever be grateful for the day we met you on that chilly August morning in 2012.
"Thank you for being a daily source of inspiration, and smiles. You make even the hardest days happy.
"Love you so much noodle. Xoxo, Dad."
If you believe all animals deserve our love and respect, please SHARE!
