Ark Valley News - Community rallies for pot-bellied pet

Using a pie crust, Officer Jason Easley coaxes Vince toward him so the pot-bellied pig could be placed in a backyard before animal control could arrive in the Fiddlers Creek neighborhood.

Community rallies for pot-bellied pet
By Chris Strunk
Last Updated: January 21, 2016

Vince needs a home.

The young pot-bellied pig who gained local notoriety after he was found wandering around a Valley Center neighborhood last week is in protective custody, awaiting placement in a foster home.

City and animal league officials hope to find Vince a permanent place to live soon. He'll be released to a foster family as early as the end of this week.

"We'd love to have someone who has had one before," said Dawn Taylor, president of the Valley Center Animal League. "He's young and definitely friendly."

Vince introduced himself to the community on Jan. 5.

A resident near the Fiddlers Creek neighborhood on East Fifth saw the pig on the street and alerted a police officer.

Officer Jason Easley responded. It wasn't the first strange animal the officer has had to corral. But it was one of the friendliest.

It was clear that the animal was someone's pet, Easley said, because it wasn't afraid of humans.

Easley fed it pie crust, kept it entertained for a while and got permission from a nearby resident to place the pig in a fenced backyard to wait for animal control to respond.

Easley said the pig was no trouble.

However, as far as pets are concerned, "I think I would rather have a dog," he said.

It's unclear where the pig came from. He may have been dumped by his owners.

It didn't take long before the city's animal control officer, Frank Miller, arrived to find the pig.

He took it to the public works building, where staff named it Vince. The pig was eventually taken to Ark Valley Animal Hospital to be held for the required 10 days, which gives the owner time to reclaim it.

Stray dogs and cats can be held for three days, Miller said. But the pig falls under the state's livestock rules, which are different.

Miller said it's hard to tell whether the pig was purposely abandoned.

"Sometimes people get pets like that and it just doesn't work out," he said. "But pigs are smart. It could've escaped. I thought someone would be looking for them if that was the case."

The animal league was alerted to the stray. League officials activated the group's social media and email system trying to find its owner.

Normally announcing a lost dog or cat, the email blast about Vince read "STRAY PIG ALERT (really)."

"This is definitely our first," Taylor said.

Though there are some residences in the city limits that have adequate lot sizes and house setbacks to accommodate a pet pot-bellied pig, Miller said he was unaware of any that are registered with the city.

"He's a neat animal," Miller said.

Miller figured Vince was less than 1 year old.

"We've had a lot of interest in it," he said. "Hopefully, we'll be able to find it a good home."

Miller said he wasn't sure whether Vince is a miniature or regular pot-bellied pig.

"Many people who have had pot-bellied pigs as pets have just sworn by them, in terms of the affectionate nature of the animals," he said. "… Pigs are smart. They're very clean animals when given the opportunity to maintain a clean environment. Pigs can be litterbox trained."

Police Chief Mark Hephner said the photograph of Easley feeding Vince was posted on the Valley Center Department of Public Safety's Facebook page and immediately became a big hit.

"It's not something you run into every day," Hephner said.