How Love and Grief Have Changed Ponyboy

Ponyboy came to Sage Mountain in 2017 with his soulmate, Wilma Jean. They had been rescued from different situations, but from the moment they met they were inseparable. For the next eight years they did everything together: eating, exploring, and watching the sunset side by side every evening.

In 2020, a sweet young pig named Morgan found his way to us. Morgan wanted to make friends, and he even had a little crush on Wilma. But Ponyboy wasn’t about to give up his time with her, and the two boys never got along. For years they kept their distance. If Ponyboy came anywhere near him, Morgan would run off screaming, with no interest in talking anything through.

As Ponyboy and Wilma grew old together, Wilma began having health problems. Over just a few months she went from her usual self to losing her mobility, and on July 29, 2025, she left her physical body. Ponyboy struggled deeply with losing her. The pig who never wanted to be alone suddenly needed time on his own to feel his grief. For a couple of months he couldn’t even look at the sunset. Every night he went to bed early, facing a corner of the shelter so he wouldn’t catch a glimpse of it going down.

With a lot of extra love and time, Ponyboy began to heal. He will always miss Wilma, but he watches the sunset again now, in her honor.

Somewhere in all that grieving, Ponyboy seemed to think about Morgan, too. The pig who had never been friendly started asking Morgan to talk things through. Morgan was reluctant for a while, but Ponyboy didn’t give up, and eventually Morgan began to open up. They had long heart-to-hearts, and Ponyboy started giving Morgan gentle kisses to show he cared.

Once they’d worked through the hard parts, they became more and more at ease around each other. Two pigs who once wouldn’t sleep in the same shelter now do exactly that. Morgan still has the occasional day when he’d rather be left alone, and Ponyboy picks up on it, choosing where he lies down so Morgan has the space he needs.

Their story is a perfect example of how deeply pigs feel, and of the relationships they build with each other. We’re so grateful to both of them for putting in the time and the heart it took to work through their differences and become friends, after all those years of not getting along.