Police, owner fight over pig in Pa.

Animal captured after escaping yard

Updated: Friday, 15 Apr 2011, 7:23 AM EDT
Published : Friday, 15 Apr 2011, 7:22 AM EDT

FOLSOM, Pa. (AP) - A potbellied pet has been put out to pasture, much to the chagrin of its suburban Philadelphia owner.

Brian Maguire tells the Philadelphia Daily News he wants police to return the Vietnamese micro potbellied pig they captured when the animal escaped from his suburban yard.

But police in Ridley Township say they've sent his 10-week-old pet, Steve, to a farm because township residents can't keep farm animals.

Maguire, a 24-year-old truck mechanic, says his domesticated pet can't forage for food.

He and his girlfriend challenge the police reading of the township pet rule. The law bans "farm animals other than customary pets." Maguire bought the pig for $424 at a local pet shop.

Township Commissioner Michael McCrea says he's not commenting on the case.

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Information from: Philadelphia Daily News, http://www.philly.com


http://www.wivb.com/dpps/news/offbea...11-jgr_3774923


Okay-first of all, the owner was irresponsible for NOT doing his homework on the animal laws of the town, and he didn't have a secure enclosure, either, but to put a domestic PET pig on a farm was STUPID on the part of the cops.

They should have contacted animal control and let them find a place where the little porker would be safe!!

The pet shop should also be fined for selling an animal that was illegal to own as a pet in the area.

It's a township law, the pet store might be in a different township.

I love country life

Why is it wrong to send the pig to live on a farm? He's not "foraging" for his food. I don't know if those folks understand but farmers do feed the animals they keep. In fact, some farmers keep pets. *gasp!*

The pet store is NOT responsible for a potential buyer knowing his local laws. It's the same for people selling reptiles. If someone is selling cornsnakes and a person living in Georgia buys some at a show, goes home with them and gets into trouble for owning native species, it's not the seller's fault. He's not supposed to do a full background check, make certain of where the potential buyer lives, research his local laws and ordinances for his exact neighborhood... that's the BUYER'S responsibility.

The one grey area the pig's owner has is the "other than customary pets" clause. But once the pig got loose, I'm pretty sure that sort of negated any "looking the other way" the officials are going to do.