Animal Law
Pet Sitter Gets Probation in Cruelty Case Over Too-Fat Pig
Posted Apr 14, 2009, 10:30 am CST
By Martha Neil
Agreeing with the owner of a potbellied pig that a pet sitter abused the animal by letting it go hog wild at mealtimes and in between, a judge in Minnesota has sentenced the sitter to one year of probation for animal cruelty.
Mary Beesecker, 53, who lives in Houston, Minn., must also reimburse the animal's owner for vet bills that could exceed $1,000, reports the Associated Press. The sitter entered an Alford plea yesterday neither admitting nor denying the animal cruelty charge but agreeing that she was likely to be found guilty
In addition to weighing in at a supersized 150 pounds, up from a svelte 50, after her stay at the sitter's, pet pig Alaina Templeton also had a collar embedded in her neck that required surgical removal. The pet died late last year, at age 6, of unknown causes.
Earlier coverage:
ABAJournal.com: "Cruelty Charge Over Pet Pig’s Weight Gain"