New Yorkers boldly flout law to keep pigs
NEW YORK (AP) - Pigs have long gotten a bad rap and are considered so messy and stinky that they're synonymous with slovenliness.
That stigma is perhaps no greater than in New York City, where high-rises and apartments are hardly hospitable to pigs. The city's health code forbids keeping them as pets, forcing pig owners to operate in secret - or boldly take the risk an unhappy neighbor might squeal.
No one knows the risks more than Queens resident Danielle Forgione who is scrambling to sell her second-floor apartment after a neighbor complained about 1-year-old Petey the pig to the co-op board. In November and December she was issued city animal violations and in January was told by both the city and her management office that she needed to get rid of the pig.