Pet Pigs and the City

I'm not sure if this topic is large enough to produce an ongoing conversation, but a family member send me this article.

Basically, the city isn't letting a family keep their Juliani pig, which they were going to use in therapy for autistic children. What stands out in this article is the lack of a valid argument shown. This these are the only justifications:

The article also goes on about pigs and weight, but since dogs can weight a lot...politics...

Now, about the article: Which side do you favor?

Now, the topic on hand: Should pigs be allowed to be kept as pets in urban areas? Why or why not?

I just want some Troper opinions.

Hmmm. For one thing, pigs can get very big, much bigger than a dog. I didn't realise how big a full-grown sow was until I actually saw some; they're huge.

For another, they can be very, very noisy. Just as much as dogs, possibly more so - the ones here literally scream at feeding time and you can hear them from halfway across the campus. Maybe pet pigs wouldn't do that, though, being better trained.

I don't think the smell would be an issue, because I don't think pigs are inherently more smelly than other animals. The digging behaviour might be.

All in all, I think yes, pet pigs should be allowed as long as they're controlled.

Dogs dig up yards, too. It's something they're pretty notorious for when not trained well.

Anyways, that quote about regressing backwards is bullshit. They're keeping it as a pet, not raising it to eat, or even keeping it in unsanitary conditions. A domesticated pig is no more trouble than a dog.

Piggies!

Twice as smart as dogs and four times as delicious . And it depends on the breed of pig.

If the person is willing to properly take care of the animal, I guess... I mean, if it becomes a nuisance, I could see why they wouldn't allow it, and a landlord could always just say no pets, period, but otherwise, I don't think the city should stop them, or the country or whatever. It should be up to the neighbors and/or landlord or whatever to work out a compromise, if necessary...

Pets are fantastic for autistic children.

It sounds like the city's concern was largely "We don't want to be thought of as being in the sticks!" which doesn't sound like great justification to me.

The only logical complaint I can think of is that pig waste is considered toxic waste. That, and depending on the breed, pigs can out-mass humans, which doesn't seem ideal for a pet for autistic children.

The thing with city permits, though, is that if this is at any kind of business (special autistic school, right?) then they have to be lisensed. If this was at a private home, they could sue the city for discrimination.

This city seems incredibly petty, especially if the pig really does end up maxing out at 20 lbs. That's lighter than my terrier, and I bet that pig is far more well-behaved and less likely to try to eat the neighbor dog if it's being trained to help autistic children.

20 pounds? I have a tiny dog you could punt that weighs that much. These people know nothing about pets...

You know, if these people have managed to tame a pig so well, then they deserve to keep it. Training an animal like a pig is nothing like training a dog. I remember my neighbors used to have this pet raccoon...

A pet crow would be nice if it wasn't a bit unethical.

But yeah, piggies should be fine. And when they die you can use them as a delicious baconny snack

You're horrible!

Why would a pet crow be unethical?

Well there are no "domesticated" crows and it seems unfair to take a wild animal and make it into a pet.

If the Euchrist tasted of Bacon you'd get more converts.

edited 24th Aug '11 10:43:32 AM by JosefBugman

Ninja, you win for that.

And, well, crows are considered near sapient. We don't get to keep primates, we don't get to keep corvids.

Pigs are pretty smart too you know. It is estimated that an adult pig has an IQ that is equal to that of a slightly mentally handicapped child of three or four years.

So what you're saying is ... the handicapped are delicious?

Yes. I think that's what he's saying.

Disabled bacon? That doesn't sound as appetizing as normal bacon. Actually, it sounds right up there with turkey bacon on the list of abominations against modern culinary practices...

I don't think that it's a good idea, simply because even "pygmy" or "teacup" pigs can still grow to outweigh most dogs. Most of them are kept at a small size by breeding the runts (which usually have other health problems) and malnourishing them to stunt their growth. If they're not kept on a special diet, they can still grow in excess of 100lbs.

Not to mention that pigs are only tenuously domesticated, and can turn feral in a generation (as in, domesticated pigs can produce offspring that are wild and grow tusks).

edited 26th Aug '11 2:16:06 PM by DrunkGirlfriend

Do you have a source for that last point, DG? They've been breeding pigs for a very long time and I think that in the modern pork pig the ratio of breed-to-breed is meticulously managed to result in the 'best' quality pigs.

edited 26th Aug '11 4:26:12 PM by LoniJay

Cats and Birds can also go ferral as quickly if not quicker. Birds depending on species and whether or not they can fly. See New York's population of Quaker Parrots. Cats are aggressively predatory and dangerous to bird populations and birds can be pests and damage crops. Pet dogs can become dangerously agressive if they get lose and attack humans, pets, and live stock. Then we get the ferral dog population issues through out the U.S. As for weight there are plenty of breeds of dogs that with healthy muscle mass can weigh in up to 100+ lbs easily.

The most common pet pig the pot belly has a bit of arguement between breeders, advocates, and others what a healthy weight is. This argeument also exists for dogs and other animals that receive breeding for shows.

Depending on the pig breed and how they are bred they can weigh up to 300lbs or as little as 50. The micro/mini pigs were not bred from runts. They were selected to be smaller in stature and weight then bacon pigs which often suffer health issues from their size and weight. They can weigh as much as 150lbs or less. They are used as pets, medical research animals, and can still be used as bacon pigs. Some have been bred down to smaller sizes but most mini pigs are in 80-150lb weight range.

All in all the only things that would make pet pig ownership an issue is the pig waste is considered hazardous.

edited 26th Aug '11 4:27:53 PM by TuefelHundenIV