FOX 4 WFTX - Cape Coral, Fort Myers, Naples News, WeatherFamily fights to keep their pet pig Petunia
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Cape council reached a conclusion to a pet pig battle in Cape Coral. The pig gets to stay with her owner.
It was a unanimous vote among council. They grandfathered the pig in. Since the 2008 council passed an ordinance that doesn't not allow pigs in the residential sections of Cape Coral, Council discussed it for about an hour and residents who were at the meeting for different issues didn't like it.
"I needed something to take her mind off it and that did it"
That was James Toboll. He says their pet pig Petunia was the only thing that distracted his wife from the pain of losing both of her parents. That was four and a half years ago and he says now the pig is part of the family.
"I'm trying to get them to understand she is a potbelly pig not a farm pig she is domesticated there no doubt. She's not for eating she's a pet."
But James says complaints from neighbors in their Cape Coral neighborhood may be splitting the family up. "The allegations against my pig are false, it amazes me that someone would go to the city just to get their own way it just floors me that they would lie."
While at the house we found no sign of the feces or any foul odors described in the complaint. So we went next door to get to the bottom of the supposed probable, but no answer. The neighbors behind the complaints are out of town. So, I took it one step further and contacted the city, turns out there's a fairly new ordinance banning farm animals as pets.
But Frank Cassidy of Cape Coral code enforcement says, even thought the Toboll had their pig before the ordinance went into effect in 2008, they still can't keep it. "The ordinance does not specify what type of pig it doesn't specify pot belly or whether a pet nor was there any grand fathered-in clause in that ordinance."
Which means Petunia may have to go, something James says would be hard on their family.
"It will feel pretty bad and my wife will be devastated. I'm trying to figure out what to do with her because that's like bringing back flash backs of the reason we got her."
The Toboll's plan to take their fight to the city commission meeting on July 26th. In the meantime they're getting neighbors to sign a petition to help them keep Petunia. So far they have more than 140 signatures, they're hoping for 500.
