Posted on 09/20/2023 7:00:49 AM PDT by Diana in Wisconsin
In the city of Madison, pigs won't be flying anywhere after the Common Council amended the city ordinance to allow them to be kept as pets.
The council voted 11-8 on the change late Tuesday night, allowing one pig per dwelling unit in the city, as long as it's under 24 inches tall at the shoulder, weighs 300 pounds, is up to date on shots and is microchipped. The vote came after roughly 30 minutes of discussion.
The swine that started it all was Rudi. He lives along the Southwest Commuter Bike Path.
"I think he belongs here," Karen Peterson said as she stopped by to see him while biking Tuesday. "My husband and I were going for a walk and I could hear him, and I hadn't been over here in a while because I've been traveling.
Within two weeks, both Rudi and Baconette -- a pig on the east side owned by Jeremy Linville -- were served notices that they had to pack their bags and fly.
Rudi's owner, Paula Niedenthal, spoke to News 3 Now off-camera, saying she had gotten too much attention -- positive and negative -- since news of Rudi's eviction came out.
She said she didn't know who reported him; she's had him for over a year and has only heard praise for the pig from neighbors.
And the neighbors showed it, placing signs along the path reading "Save Rudi."
"I was on the 'Free Rudi' train," Ted Wegehaupt said. He runs past the pig all the time.
"People love Rudy, he doesn't do anything other than just bring joy out," he said. "He's so great around here, like everybody in the community loves him. I think he brings more people to the path."
Lisa Armstrong, Peterson's friend, said if he was evicted, "Oh, my gosh. We would have written a letter."
"I always said if people have chickens in this neighborhood, we can have a pig," Peterson said.
Rudi also had Alder Tag Evers in his corner leading the rule change.
At Tuesday's council meeting, only one person spoke during the public comment portion, and he spoke against allowing the pigs.
"We started with the chickens, now we're doing pigs. What's going to be next, goats?" Robert Borman said. "The people putting this ordinance together and trying to have it pass are good pig owners and they probably are respect the neighbors and clean up after -- what happens is you get a lot of individuals that do not respect the laws and that will go overboard and there will be a smell."
All the pig owners say if properly taken care of, they don't smell. Rudi himself is litter box trained.
"They're very clean, that is something people are surprised to know about them," Anna Burr said, "they all choose to go to the bathroom very far away from where they sleep, very easy to litter train."
Burr, who has worked with miniature pigs at a local sanctuary farm for six years, told News 3 Now they make great pets.
"I've been working with dogs for the past 15 years, and I can say that the bonds that I've formed with pigs in the past six years have been extremely way more significant and deeper, and they're so multifaceted," Burr said.
Still, there are some things people should keep in mind before taking a little piggy home.
Pigs should be supervised around dogs, or kept separate, and there is a price for high intelligence.
"You need to stimulate their brains, you need to get them active, you need to do some training, because otherwise they're using all of that energy and maybe destroying your house," Burr said.
But people walking, running, or biking by Rudi say they would be in hog heaven if he stayed.
"On a hot day, I mean, I probably don't take as many breaks as I should," Wegehaupt said. "So having Rudy here is a good way to just, you know, calm down, get a breath, and then can get back out there."
*SMIRK*
Arnold Ziffel will be the honorary mayor.
Them’s good eatin.’
I LOVE the episode where Arnold falls in love with Cynthia the Basset Hound. Star-crossed Lovers, LOL!
Kind of a slap at the muzzies. I like it. Name one Mohammed.
Watching Bacon grow :-)
What if the pig only weighs 275 pounds…is it illegal?
The deep red town of Prescott Valley, AZ was considering allowing pigs at private homes. Not sure what happened to that study.
They do allow up to 10 hens each if the property lot is of a certain size, HOAs permitting.
Is this some sort of “get back” at Muslims who don’t want their kids groomed? These days, one never knows.
What are fat girls like mopeds?
What or why?
They are both a lot of fun to ride but you would never let your friends catch you riding either one.
Two things of note in that picture.
1. The “White Silence is White Compliance” thing is very dangerous, and very fascist. I’ve seen such signs before. For the Left, is no longer good enough to be neutral on a topic. You must agree with all their viewpoints or you are the enemy, a monster.
2. One of the idiots cannot even spell “equal” correctly. And evidently no one else there noticed it. Yet we are supposed to accept them as our masters.
Gee Diana,
I’m tempted to move to Wisconsin. You’ve got all those Culver’s locations and baby pigs too! Sounds like heaven!
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