Porkus Maximus gets to stay at home.
After an hour of emotional testimony Tuesday night in Whitehall Township, the Zoning Hearing Board decided the pet potbellied pig could remain at home with his owner, Holly Hacker.
Hacker cried and so did a few other folks when the board announced she'd get a variance. The board decided that separating Hacker from Porkus "would create a hardship because the two have lived together for two years," according to The Morning Call.
When her attorney was trying to proving that point Tuesday night, he asked Hacker where Porkus sleeps.
"He was sleeping in my water bed, which he likes quite a bit," Hackers said.
The township's ordinance bans people from keeping livestock on their property. A zoning officer tried to enforce the ban back in the spring, even though Hacker explained that she had no intention of eating or breeding Porkus.
Hacker then rallied support to help make her case that Porkus was a beloved pet, just like a cat or dog, and should be treated as such. Hundreds of people came to her home to sign a petition and nearly sixty showed up Tuesday night to support Porkus.
The board granted her a variance by a vote of 4-1, but one of the members was careful to say that it doesn't mean just anybody can have a potbellied pig.
