The Mitchell City Council on Monday approved an ordinance that would allow residents to own pet pigs in city limits. The issue was brought to the council after Rachela Dirksen moved to town from California with her pet pig, Bruce, and was unaware that the city didn’t allow pigs to be kept as pets. The council passed the ordinance on first reading at its last meeting, and two criteria were agreed on: a limit of one pet pig per household and a weight limit of 200 pounds. No one spoke in opposition of the ordinance at that meeting.
On Monday night during second reading of the ordinance, Jenna Scheich, who lives just south of Mitchell, expressed some concerns with allowing pigs to be kept as pets in town. She told the council that most pigs are rehomed before they reach two years of age because “owners do not know what they are getting themselves into.” She also was concerned about the weight limit, saying the average pig grows for its first five years, and many grow to be bigger than 200 pounds. She added that pigs need to be stimulated intellectually and that it could be difficult to find a veterinarian to treat a pig as a pet rather than as a farm animal. She added that an entire city ordinance should not be altered due to one case.
Dirksen countered that all pets are a lot of work, and she shouldn’t have to suffer for somebody else’s irresponsibility. She added that Bruce is well-behaved and domesticated.
The council unanimously approved the ordinance.