Public service provides pot-bellied pig owner six-month period to prove porcine companion is no pet

A Winnipeg womanfighting to keep her pot-bellied pig now has six months to prove her illegal porcine pet is in fact a service animal.

In August, Winnipeg's animal services ordered EmilySydor to find a new home for Podgy, her pot-bellied pig. The city agencytold her she could notkeep acommercial animalin her West End residenceand ordered her to find "suitable accommodations" somewhere livestock is allowed.

Sydorappealed the order and appeared twice before city council's protection, community services and parks committee to argue she suffers from mental illness and relies on Podgy to maintain her emotional well-being.

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The appeal hearing was adjourned and was slated to resume this Friday until animal services chief operating officer Leland Gordon granted Sydor a special, temporary permit to continue housing Podgy.

The permit gives Sydoruntil Jan. 31 to demonstrate the steps she will take to ensure Podgy becomes a service animal. She then has until June 1 to demonstrate she has in fact taken those steps, Pagtakhan said.

His committee declined to simply allow her appeal, as that would have opened the door for other appeals for people to keep animals that are not allowed as pets under city bylaws.

To further close the loophole, Pagtakhan said he plans to ask animal services to develop a policy governing service animals.

"We've got to make sure we have a formal policy to deal with service animals, because we don't want to deal with people that are bringing a horse in, or a goat,or other species that aren't allowed in the City of Winnipeg," he said.

The protection, community services and parks committee meets on Friday.