Piglet the 10-month-old pot-bellied pig is at risk of losing her Jasper home because of the municipality's domestic animal bylaw, which classifies all pigs as livestock.
Currently the bylaw states: "No person shall keep in the town any livestock other than for the purpose of attending a rodeo in the town sanctioned by the Canadian Rodeo Association and in a location approved by the municipal manager." It also has a provision for circuses and horses used as part of a business.
But according to Piglet's owner, that bylaw is outdated.
“I believe that she has the right to be classified as a pet just like dogs and cats,” said Lynda Knight, whose daughter Jamin brought Piglet home when she was just two months old. “It’s just a matter of old bylaws being updated. Thousands of cities, towns and municipalities have amended their bylaws in recognition of these animals,” said Knight, noting that Vietnamese pot-bellied pigs like Piglet were brought to North America about 30 years ago and have since been bred solely as domestic pets.
The Department of Agriculture also classifies pot-bellied pigs as pets, along with dogs, cats, guinea pigs, finches and budgies.
“Given that she’s less noisy than a dog and she’s absolutely not going to be chasing wildlife like dogs do, and she is less intrusive than a cat—she’s not going to climb over the fence and go into your neighbour’s garden—I can’t see any reasonable argument against including pot-bellied pigs in the bylaw where they belong,” said Knight, who considers Piglet a part of the family, just like her dog and two cats.
“Once we get a pet, we don’t take that lightly. Now her life is our responsibility,” said Knight. “I feel very strongly about protecting her safety and ensuring she always has a wonderful life.”
Although Piglet has lived in Jasper since October, her presence was only brought to the attention of the bylaw department this month.
Dave Osborne, licensing and enforcement manager for the municipality, said the department hasn’t taken enforcement action yet, but as the municipal bylaw stands, it is illegal to have Piglet living in Jasper.
Osborne is currently in consultation with Parks Canada and is also awaiting approval from Peter Waterworth, the municipality’s chief administrative officer, to present Knight with a letter requesting she voluntarily remove Piglet from the town.
“I really don’t want to prosecute something like this, or ticket for something like this—if we can get voluntary compliance that’s the route I would like to take,” said Osborne, who said he agrees with the bylaw as it stands.
“Whether it’s pot-bellied, round-bellied or square-bellied, a pig is livestock. That’s our position. If the mayor and council wants to appeal it then it’s their decision.”
If presented with a letter to remove Piglet from the town, Knight will have the opportunity to bring the issue to council to request the bylaw be amended. It would then be up to the mayor and council to decide whether to allow pot-bellied pigs as domestic pets or not.
“If she wanted to go before mayor and council, even though nothing has been done by the bylaw department, she can send in a request to speak to them about this,” said Osborne. “If she does that, then as the chief bylaw officer, I say, ‘Parks Canada and myself say, no, we don’t want pot-bellied pigs in town. It’s livestock and we don’t want it.’ And then they’d make a decision.”
Knight said she will compile a petition with signatures from community members who believe pot-bellied pigs should be considered domestic pets. If it comes to it, she said she will also present to council, requesting an amendment to the bylaw.
“I won’t just let it go,” she said. “I believe that she is a pet.”
