Pet Pig Prevails in Fight With City Hall
Scooter, a Vietnamese pot-bellied pig threatened with eviction, has prevailed in his fight with City Hall--and even prompted a change in the law.
The 146-pound pig, owned by Cindy and Gary Burton, was in trouble because a 1995 ordinance put a 100-pound limit on the weight of pet pigs allowed within city limits.
The problem started last year when a neighbor complained that Scooter was looking a little chubby. In January, the city’s planning commission visited the Burtons’ home, said Craig Jimenez of the planning department.
Sure enough, the pig was far over the legal limit. But the Burtons complained to the City Council that the ordinance was unfair, because most full-grown pot-bellied pigs weigh more than 100 pounds.
Planning officials investigated and found that the maligned pig was, in fact, just a little above his optimal weight.
They say they will write a new ordinance in May, amending the old one, which will raise the weight limit to 175 pounds.
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