'The
First Registry
for All Pet Pigs'™
UPPR™,
Inc.
PO Box 60635
Reno, NV 89506
Contact Info
TRAINING ARTICLES | PET PIG ZONING INFO | PIG PICTURES | UPPR™ INFO & GOALS
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'The
First Registry UPPR™,
Inc.
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Do's
& Don'ts of Zoning |
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There are many that have fought the battle of zoning. Some we have won and some we have lost. There appears to be no one way to do it and most of the battles depend on how well you communicate with the bureaucracy along with the mind set of that bureaucracy. PROBLEMS YOU FACE: The Dept. of Agriculture classifies these animals as swine. No matter how many proclamations we have, no matter how many letters we send it will still be the same. As long as we are required to blood test as the swine do we will be classified as swine. While we may have letters from individuals in the Dept. of Agriculture stating that these are pets, it does not change the bottom line. It would not be cost effective for the Dept. of Agriculture to change the rules to suit the few thousand pet pigs in the country. Also consider how could they draw the line between the pets and the ones that are not considered pets, but who are still not considered meat producing animals. Lobby power by the pork producers - They are not going to allow us to travel with impunity place to place as long as they feel that our animals are capable of carrying or transmitting swine disease to the pork that they depend on for a living. We have to understand that we are dealing with the farm mentality, not people who keep pets. The fact that our pets are for the most part spayed or neutered and they are not breeding animals is of no interest to them. The fact that most of the disease problems that they are blood tested for are diseases affecting breeding of the animal which make it mostly a non pet problem is also of no concern to them. At this point in time there is no way to separate the two. Even if they were willing, where do they draw the line between pets and those kept in herds at rescues, etc. that are not really pets, but certainly not meat producing animals. A dubious outcry early on with these pigs came from some quarters who, even though they claim to love the pigs, seemed to come out of the woodwork every time a zoning issue was brought forward. These people were ahead of us on almost every front and had more time to get organized against allowing zoning. They were never totally up front with any of us and for sure were not afraid to use terrible scare tactics with the city fathers when advising against allowing the Potbellied pig as pets. Their thinking was that by not allowing the pigs in most areas that people would quit producing them and they would die out before flooding sanctuaries with unwanted ones. What they accomplished was causing more pigs to lose their homes thus filling more sanctuaries with more pigs. Most of these people were Animal Rights people who don't like to call any animal a pet, but have been really aggressive about not calling the pet pig a pet. WHERE DO WE GO FROM HERE? Can we change the stand of the Dept. of Agriculture? That is very doubtful. In my lifetime I don't expect a change in the laws regarding the Potbellied pig. Can we hope to gain the lobby power of the pork producing states? No we can't! We do not have the number nor the commitment nor the money. The first thing we can all do is NEVER, NEVER place a pig, give a pig, sell a pig to a permanent home without checking for OURSELVES if this a zoned area!! Once that pig is in that home IT IS the pig that will suffer when it's found to be illegal. DO NOT PUT THE PIG AT RISK! To do this and fight the battle later is not fair to the pig that is possibly going to end up in a sanctuary or worse. PICK YOUR BATTLE ACCORDING TO RESPONSIBLE PET OWNERSHIP ONLY! Last year I remember a case that came on the list on the computer. A lady was being forced to give up her pig and there were numerous calls of help put out. Upon further investigation it was found that this lady had been cited for her dog and twice for her pig. One citation was for unsanitary conditions. This is NOT A BATTLE THAT SHOULD BE TAKEN ON! Responsible pet owners do not get cited for animals who are repeatedly getting out. One time maybe, repeatedly, NO. In these kinds of cases your reputation loses all credibility and substance should you decide to step in. WHEN YOU DO HAVE A LEGITIMATE BATTLE! The most important thing to do is have your ducks in a row beforehand. Keep your letters short and to the point without emotion. The bureaucracy does NOT like to read. Keep your letters centered around what will affect THEM as a city or town. You can always ask for a license fee or an owner fee for the pigs. This gives them the chance to see that it might be a benefit to the town and use that to counter arguments that it would cost animal control more money to take on pigs along with dogs and cats. Set out guidelines such as all pet pigs must be spayed or neutered and only a certain number per household. Give them some options to work with. They are really not interested in how we feel about our pets, but they will listen if it is going to affect them and their jobs in any way. Be ready and able to dispute any erroneous information that may have been given to them about pigs as pets. Give them the facts and state them to their benefit. Phyllis Battoe |
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