The number of pigs looking for homes across the US is astronomical. The reason for some of this is lack of research, but some can be blamed on city/zoning restrictions too. Many people are simply not aware that there may be rules that do not allow pigs to live in a particular city. I am asking the city of Fort Mill South Carolina to consider amending the outdated ordinance that forbids miniature pigs to reside within the city limits in the residential community. The current regulation is

Sec. 4-4. - Hogs, chickens and other fowl.

It shall be unlawful for any person to keep or maintain any hog, chicken or other fowl within the town.

(Code 1984, § 6-3-3; Ord. No. 91-9, § 6-3-3, 10-14-91)

Ironically, there is another ordinance that does apply.

Sec. 4-2. - Cruelty to animals generally.

It shall be unlawful for any person to overload, overdrive, overwork, torture, torment, wantonly beat, bruise or cut, to work when in an unfit condition, in any other manner inflict any unnecessary pain or suffering upon any brute animal, or to fail to provide sufficient food and shelter for the animal in the town, whether such person be the owner of such animal or have the temporary charge or custody of the animal.(Code 1984, § 6-3-1)

Pigs are super emotional animals who thrive in having a routined schedule. Pigs will actually cry real tears if they're sad and no one wants to see a crying pig. Pigs grieve the loss of a family and to be quite honest, there are so many unwanted pigs now that many people have taken in a 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th and the numbers are growing. There are enough home for the pigs that are already unwanted, abused, mistreated, "got bigger than expected", to now someone "doesn't have any time for the pig", so essentially trying to find a home based on anything-it would be difficult to do because the pig community is saturated with them. 

Surrounding cities like Red Mills does have conflicting ordinances allowing pigs to be leashed when outside do they're not ever considered "at large"

Sec. 6-91. - Running at large prohibited.

It is unlawful for any cow, hog, goat, sheep, horse or mule to run at large within the corporate limits of the city.

(Code 1981, § 6-54)

Sec. 6-99. - Keeping swine.

The keeping of any hog or pig within the corporate limits of the city creates noxious odors and atmospheric pollution or contamination offensive to the senses and obnoxious to the general welfare and comfort of the community. Such keeping of hogs or pigs is therefore hereby declared a violation of this Code and a public and private nuisance, per se. This section shall not apply to rural holding (RH) zoning districts.

(Code 1981, § 6-62)

Lancaster, SC has ordinances regarding "exotic" animals, but mini pigs are not on their list of animals that are not permitted.

ec. 6-51. - Definition of exotic animals.

 **Please let me clarify the misunderstood information regarding this ordinance. If there are 100 pigs in an enclosed area, or even outside, without proper clean up processes in place, there can absolutely have a noxious odor. But, we are only talking about one whose human family loves and cares for him in a deep way. Noxious odors aren't an issue whatsoever because pigs do not "stink", they actually do not have sweat glands where you'd find the source of a possible foul smell in animals (or people) that do. A hog and a potbellied/mini pig are completely different animals and based on that fact, a potbellied or mini pig is not a hog. A hog is an agricultural animal that will likely be used as a food source. Our pet pigs are just that: pets.

Exotic animal means those species of animals that are exotic to humans. Exotic animals include, but are not limited to:

Class Mammalia.

a. Order Artiodactyla (only hippopotamuses and giraffes).

b. Order Carnivora (only those specified below).

1. Family Felidae [(all species except domestic cats) this includes lions, tigers, cougars, leopards, lynx, ocelots, servals].

2. Family Canidae (only wolves, coyotes and jackals), to include any crossbred animals with domesticated dogs, hereinafter referred to as hybrids, provided that any hybrid animal legally possessed in Lancaster County on or before July 1, 2008 may remain with the current owner. No sale or transfer of the hybrid shall be permitted. Any birth of hybrid animals shall be transported outside the boundaries of the county after a normal weaning period as determined by animal control.

3. Family Ursidae (all bears).

4. Family Hyaenidae (hyenas).

5. Such other carnivores as may be defined in § 47-5-20(1) of the South Carolina Code of Laws.

c. Order Perissodactyla (only rhinoceroses).

d. Order Primates (only gorillas).

e. Order Proboscidae (elephants).

(2) Class Reptilia.

a. Order Squamata (only varanidae family animals specified below).

b. Family Varanidae (only water monitors and crocodile monitors).

c. Order Crocodilia (such as crocodiles, alligators, caimans, gavials, etc.) all species.

(3) Any venomous reptile.

(Ord. No. 897, 5-5-08)

Please let me clarify the misunderstood information regarding this ordinance. If there are 100 pigs in an enclosed area, or even outside, without proper clean up processes in place, there can absolutely have a noxious odor. But, we are only talking about one whose human family loves and cares for him in a deep way. Noxious odors aren't an issue whatsoever because pigs do not "stink", they actually do not have sweat glands where you'd find the source of a possible foul smell in animals (or people) that do. A hog and a potbellied/mini pig are completely different animals and based on that fact, a potbellied or mini pig is not a hog. A hog is an agricultural animal that will likely be used as a food source. Our pet pigs are just that: pets.

Matthews, NC ordinances regarding pigs. 

Livestock: All animals of a domesticated, agricultural nature including but not limited to: equine animals, bovine animals, sheep, goats, llamas, and swine.

§ 91A-42. PERMITS FOR FOWL, EQUINE, CLOVEN-HOOFED ANIMALS, ETC

(A) Permit Required: It shall be unlawful for any person to own, keep, have, or maintain any equine animals, cloven-hoofed animals or other livestock or any rabbits, except for rabbits kept exclusively inside the owner’s residence, chickens, turkeys, ducks, guineas, geese, pheasants, pigeons or other domestic fowl in the Town without first receiving from the Division a permit to do so, or to continue to have any of the same stated above after a permit has been denied.

••Nonetheless, This county does allow "livestock" to reside within city limits with an approved permit.

Gastonia, NC

SECTION 10-1 Definitions

Livestock. Horses, mules, cows, pigs, goats, sheep, fowl (such as chickens, ducks, guineas, peacocks, turkeys, etc.), rabbits and all other animals that typically are kept primarily for productive or useful purposes rather than as pets. By exception, rabbits kept as pets and not for productive purposes shall not be deemed livestock, and the having or keeping of a pig commonly referred to as the miniature Vietnamese potbellied pig (sus scrofa vittatus) shall not be deemed livestock.

Sec. 10-19. - Prohibition of certain animals and operations.

(a) No person may have or keep within the city any wild animal other than one classified as a wild animal by the North Carolina wildlife resources commission and for which a permit is obtained from that commission, or any hogs, pigs, or swine except that a person may have or keep one miniature Vietnamese potbellied pig (sus scrofa vittatus) provided that any out-of-doors pen constructed for said potbellied pig shall meet the required yard setbacks and other requirements for small livestock as set forth in section 10-18; however, any out-of-doors pen constructed prior to January 1, 1996, shall not have to meet said setbacks so long as the potbellied pig occupying such pen is in existence.

(b) No person may locate, construct, or operate any animal breeding, growing, or feeding establishment for commercial purposes within the city. However, this prohibition shall not apply to animals maintained solely for family use by the owner of the premises upon which they are located.

By classifying potbellied pigs as pets, Gastonia created a community who was eager to share their neighborhood with pet pigs. 

There are many cities and towns across the USA who have ordinances restricting pigs from living in city limits. There are also many more that do not address pigs at all. Pigs live in homes all across the country with many cities restructuring outdated zoning ordinances to allow porcine family members to live within the city limits. Pigs are pets too and should not be restricted to "farming communities" only or "out in the country". This petition was created to show that there is a large mini pig community who will stand as a united front to educate those who may not be as familiar with pigs as those who have them as pets. As with any pet, there is a family like community on social media where each pig parent has the opportunity to ask questions and/or get sound advice from people who are leaders/experts in the pig arena.

Pig parents are scattered all over the world, there are hundreds of thousands of families with a pet pig across the US and many more worldwide. Many cities/towns/counties put ordinances in place far before potbellied pigs were ever introduced to the United States, so the term livestock doesn't apply to the pet pigs that we are trying to legalize. The term livestock literally means farm animals that are raised for profit. The pet pigs/companion pigs that we have living in our homes are not full sized farm pigs and are not sold for profit, therefore, livestock is an inappropriate term to describe them. The agricultural community has different standards with regards to their animals, for example, livestock feed is not taxed, pet pig food is taxed. Pet pig parents do not receive a tax deduction for their choice of pet while the agriculture community can claim loses on their taxes. Potbellied pigs do come in many different sizes that can range from 70 pounds up to 300 pounds. They're often referred to as "mini pigs" though this term can sometimes be deceiving. The term swine is also used in some of the ordinances that I have read and the simple definition of swine is a pig...we can't argue with the use of that term, however, in most cases, again, the ordinance was put into place before the miniature versions were brought to the USA, so they were put into effect to try and control the pig production market within city limits. 

For towns or cities with no ordinance in place, this means that you are neither allowed or prohibited from having a pet pig within city limits, but, this is actually a problem because the city council can create an ordinance that doesn't allow pigs in general to live within city limits or other specific criteria, at any time, that will affect a family's pig. Obviously the ideal solution would've been to research city ordinances prior to purchasing a home in the city, however, when you're not aware that pet pigs are a topic of debate, you also don't know to check and see if there is an ordinance forbidding them to live within the city limits.

Pigs are pets too. They're not much different than any other domesticated pet you would find lounging around on the deck in someone's backyard or playing in the pile of leaves with the kids. Please don't forbid a pet that you aren't familiar with simply because you don't know enough to make an informed decision. Please allow us to plead our case and consider amending or creating an ordinance that allows potbellied or "mini pigs" to live within the limits/boundaries or your city. Here are some "facts" that you may not be aware of, but personal convictions that we feel strongly about.

• Pigs can be easily house-trained.

• Pigs are extremely intelligent, it's been said they are as smart as a 3-4 year old toddler. They are ranked 4th smartest mammal.

• Pigs should be spayed/neutered. Intact pigs do not make great pets.

• Pig parents should be educated regarding proper care for their pig.

• Every family with a pig should have a veterinarian that sees pigs, and we do.

• Pigs need outdoor time and you should expect them to act like pigs. 

• Pigs are social animals, therefore, pigs actually do better in pairs.

• Pigs are prey animals, so a fenced in yard is ideal to protect our pig from getting out, but also to protect our pig from predator animals getting in.

• Many cities have vaccinations that are required for other pets and with the exception of rabies, there are vaccinations similar to those for other pets available. The dog rabies vaccination is used for pigs off label. There have been no reported cases of rabies in a vaccinated pig. 

• Obesity is a problem for pigs. So is starvation. Please be mindful of the various shapes and sizes pigs are prior to making specific rules for any ordinance. 200 pounds may be obese for one pig, but that may be the ideal weight for another pig that is a little taller and longer. Restricting the size a pig can be often results in pig parents restricting the feed and causing malnourishment issues/nutritional deficiencies. (teacup or micro pigs do NOT exist)

• Pigs do not smell, they also don't sweat. A clean water source should always be available. 

• A sturdy shelter free from drafts is suggested for outside time. In areas with inclement weather, it's best to be too prepared than not prepared enough. 

• The USDA does NOT regulate potbellied pigs because they are not a food source.

• All pigs need training. I have gone to great lengths to be sure my pig is trained to interact with the general public and she is well on her way to becoming a registered therapy pet that will work in animal assisted therapy.

We abide by the basic rules of good pet ownership and provide everything above for our family pet. We thank you for taking the time to read our petition and more-so for considering amending an outdated ordinance or creating one to allow potbellied pigs to live within city/town/county limits. As you can see, surrounding towns/counties and cities have made provisions that include the specific breed versus using the word swine or livestock. Please consider letting Rudy the pig stay home!