Pacific Grove tells family pig must go
A major decision in a battle between the city of Pacific Grove and a family with a pet pot belly pig. The city says the pig has to go, but the family isn’t giving up.
The City of Pacific Grove is giving the Hanes familiy 30 days to get rid of their beloved pot belly pig, but the family says this messy situation is far from over.
This is Bruiser. He’s about 3-years-old and has been with the Hanes family since he was born. They say there weren’t any problems with having a little oinkster, up until last December when their neighbor complained to the city, saying the smell of the pig’s feces was unbearable. The Hanes family says the same neighbor called the city about two years ago, asking if having a pig was legal, which lead to the first visit from animal control.
“We obtained several emails where they were communication back and forth, the city staff, city manager included, back in December that said we’ve approved this pig but we really just hope they get rid of it,” said Lisa Hanes, the pig’s owner.
“This matter isn’t so much about whether the animal was permitted or not, it was about the violation of the municipal code, which pertained to the accumulation of excrement and the offensive odor on a neighboring property owner,” said PG City Administrator Ben Harvey.
Lisa claims her neighbor tried to sabotage their efforts to keep their pig. even photoshopping feces into pictures of their backyard to use against them. After more complaints, yesterday the city yesterday decided the pig must be moved outside the city and the family must pay the city nearly 500 dollars in administrative costs. The Hanes family is appealing the decision.