As livestock owners, we understand the food chain and the part our animals play in providing meat on the plates of consumers.
Is there ever a time when “livestock” can become more than part of the food chain? On the flip side, is there an animal that cannot provide emotional support to its owner, if the owner so chooses? What if the animal is socially accepted as a pet, but its counterparts are considered livestock? In recent decades, the term “emotional support animal” has been left up for interpretation.
Wyverne Flatt of Canajaharie, N.Y., is fighting this battle. Ellie, his 110-pound potbellied pig, snuggles up when watching TV and likes to have her belly rubbed. In navigating a divorce and the death of his mother, Flatt has been turning to his best companion, Ellie.
However, town officials see it very differently. Flatt could soon face criminal charges for illegally housing his “farm animal” within city limits. In October 2019, Ellie was discovered as a permanent resident during a building permit visit. When Ellie hadn’t found a new home after six months, Flatt was formally notified of the violation and told that he could face misdemeanor charges under the New York state law, ending in jail time or having Ellie taken away.
Flatt has done his due diligence to keep Ellie, including providing a note from a nurse practitioner stating Ellie has helped Flatt get off medication and registering Ellie, headshot included, as an emotional support animal.
Flatt joins several other potbellied pig owners who describe their animal as “emotional support” despite local housing laws. Around the country, not all villages outlaw residents from keeping pigs as pets. Some local laws require pet pigs be under a specified weight or allow only pot-bellied pigs.
A pot-bellied pig as a pet may seem harmless. However, federal transportation officials gave airlines discretion in 2020 to accommodate emotional support animals, to which they outlawed all species except canines. With African swine fever (ASF) and other foreign animal diseases looming, this rule provides one more hurdle to help keep the U.S. swine industry safe.
The question remains—is Ellie considered livestock or “emotional support?” It’s hard to decipher. Will Ellie ever join the food chain? No, and neither will Fido the Dog or Fluffy the Cat. However, pigs are considered livestock and a pig Ellie is.
