Joliet Family Fighting to Keep Pet Pot-Bellied Pig

JOLIET, IL — She’s the sweetest little pig you could ever meet, according to her “mom,” but now the City of Joliet might take her away.

Two years ago, JoAnn Flannery and her family got Tasha the Pig from the humane society in Woodstock, Illinois. She was a rescue pig and they brought her home to live with them on Emery Street.

“All of the neighbors dearly loved her,” Flannery said, adding that Habitat for Humanity would come over and bring apples and bananas.

In August, they moved to the 800 block of Kelly Avenue. That’s when an unknown neighbor squealed on them for a city ordinance violation claiming the family owned a farm animal.

But Tasha doesn’t belong on a farm, according to Flannery. She’s not a farm animal. She’s a member of the family. She sleeps in her own bed. She’s house broken. She’s not loud. She’s been neutered and once a year she gets a full checkup from the vet.

“The only thing that she does is love,” Flannery said.

The family was sent a letter dated Oct. 21 saying they had five days to get rid of the pig or else they’d be charged $750 per day for the violation. By the time the letter got to them, they only had two days to get rid of the pig, Flannery said.

Flannery said she called Joliet City Attorney Martin Shanahan who allegedly said if the family didn’t comply they would get another letter to appear before an arbitration judge to prove their case that Tasha is not a farm animal, but a domesticated pot-bellied pig.

Shanahan confirmed with Patch that no hearing date has been set and said someone from the city will likely go out to the family's home to verify that the pig is still there and give them a citation.

"What I told them is don't pay, come to court and have your hearing," Shanahan said. "We're still pretty early in the process."

Now the family is just waiting to see what happens next.

But in the meantime, Flannery’s neighbors have rallied together to save Tasha.

“Our neighbors are surrounding us with this love and encouragement,” Flannery said. “People that we don’t even know.”

A petition was even started that has more than 1,000 signatures in support of the pig.

“Personally, I’ve gotten so many emails from all over the United States and even into Canada,” she said. Tasha even got a card in the mail from someone in Florida.

So, what happens if the family has to give up Tasha?

“We’re very attached to Tasha. It would be absolutely devastating. We lost our son nine years ago. He took his life and our family has struggled for nine years,” she said. “Tasha has taken the breaking of our hearts and mended it. She’s more than just our pet. She’s our family member.”

photos courtesy of the Flannery family