KEOKUK, IOWA -- A Keokuk family who owns a pot bellied pig named "Bacon" are attempting to change the law to keep their porker at home.
"He was a gift to our daughter. He was given to her by my cousin because she loved pigs. And apparently they wanted to top every other gift she'd gotten. We gave her a bicycle. They gave her a pig," Angel Finch said.
The Finch family says it didn't know pot-belly pigs were prohibited in Keokuk until a neighbor complained.
Animal services soon arrived at the Finch's doorstep warning them of the city ordinance prohibiting livestock from living inside the home.
"I define livestock as something you eat. We're not going to eat our pig," Finch said.
Now the family is asking the City Council to change city law to include pot-belly pigs as domestic animals, similar to cats and dogs.
"We've all fallen in love with him," Finch said.
Keokuk's code revision committee will discuss the issue on September 27.
In the meantime, the family is looking for a temporary home for "Bacon."
Mature pot bellied pigs grow to approximately 13-20 inches tall and can weigh 150 pounds or more. But "Bacon" will maybe double in size, weighing no more than 60 pounds. That's proportionate to most dogs and he's house trained.
Click here for more facts on pot bellied pigs.
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