VENTURA : Pig Is Spared Stress of St. Pat’s Dyeing
While organizers of Ventura’s St. Patrick’s Day Parade hope to turn the town green Saturday, at least one little pig will remain pink.
Honorary Grand Marshal Jim Monahan, a councilman and former mayor of Ventura, said Wednesday that he has bowed to the wishes of the Humane Society and will substitute a toy pig for the live one that organizers had planned to lead the parade.
“The Humane Society told me that it was OK to have lambs in the parade because they are accustomed to walking and being around people,” Monahan said. “But they said it is inappropriate to have a pig, even if they do do it in other areas.
“This parade is for fun, and we don’t want to cause any stress to any piggy. Since we need a pig, we’ll go to Toys R Us and buy one.”
About 30 people called the Humane Society to complain after word of the plan to paint the pig with nontoxic dye circulated, said Joyce George, Humane Society of Ventura County president.
The callers worried about how long the pig would be out in the sun and whether the paint might be harmful, George said.
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