Measure Would Allow Pot-Bellied Pigs as Pets

The City Council this week introduced an ordinance that would allow residents to keep pot-bellied pigs as household pets, but a final decision won’t be made until Tuesday.

Mayor Tom Daly said he wants more information about other cities’ experiences with the animals. Councilman Tom Tait said he is comfortable with the proposed regulations, but council member Bob Zemel voiced concerns that the city doesn’t have the staff to enforce them.

Resident Cher Houston says the uncertainty of whether she will be allowed to keep her pig, Mu Shu, is emotionally draining. City staff earlier recommended that owning pot-bellied pigs be prohibited.

Houston asked the council to be open-minded, especially since more than 100 city residents have contacted her to say they have illegal pigs. She also favors regulations for pig owners: “We need to do an ordinance properly--we don’t want to adopt what won’t work.”

Houston and her pig drew the council’s attention in July after a neighbor complained to city code enforcement about Mu Shu’s smell. Houston was ordered to remove the pig since the city’s code prohibits farm animals on properties smaller than one acre.

Until the council makes a decision, Houston can keep Mu Shu at her home.