I’ve long dreamed about one day becoming the proud parent of a teacup pig. It might sound like a novelty, but as someone who follows animal welfare issues fairly consistently, I know just how pet-like pigs can be. They have personalities, emotions and, like dogs, can be trained. Pigs are domesticated; they’re not wild boars. So I was pretty outraged when I read about Eli, a rescue pet and potbellied pig who was adopted by the Kropp family in Sherwood Park, AB, and is now at risk of losing his family and home. Orphaned at a young age, Eli was hand-raised by humans and has lived in a human home all his life. But recently, a neighbour complained that the Kropps were raising livestock, an offence that breaks Strathcona County bylaws. Merriam Webster’s defines livestock as “animals kept or raised for use or pleasure, especially farm animals kept for use or profit.” Based on that interpretation, Eli is no more akin to livestock than the common cats and dogs living in thousands of households across the country. According to Kropp family matriarch Michelle, cities like Edmonton and Calgary have extended permits like the one she has requested. Nevertheless, Mayor Roxanne Carr informed the family that the beloved pet will be seized on June 11. Meanwhile, Ian Gray, director with transportation and agriculture services for Strathcona County, says that the bylaw must be changed in order for Eli to stay. In response, a Change.org petition asking Strathcona County to overturn the decision and change the bylaw prohibiting pigs from living in urban homes has been launched. So far, more than 12,000 people have signed the petition, just over 2,000 short of the 15,000 target. To support Eli and the Kropps, sign the petition at Change.org and email Mayor Carr at roxanne.carr@strathcona.ca. (Photo courtesy Change.org/Darcy Granberg)