Cruelty Charge Over Pet Pig's Weight Gain
While being cared for by a sitter as her owner was recovering from ankle surgery, a pet pig in Minnesota did what came naturally. She ate. And ate. And ate some more.
All told, Alaina Templeton, a 5-year-old pet potbellied pig, tripled her size in nine months, chomping her way from a svelte 50 pounds to a super-sized 150, reports the Associated Press.
Her horrified owner, Michelle Schmitz, complained to authorities, who have charged the sitter with one misdemeanor count of animal cruelty. In addition to being grossly obese, the pig also had to have a far-too-small collar surgically removed, according to news reports.
Although the sitter declined comment, it appears that the pet pig gained weight because she showed no restraint when kept outdoors at the sitter’s farm, hogging all the cat food and chicken feed she could find.
Says Schmitz of the sitter: “I want her to be held responsible for what she did and what she didn’t do.”
NBC’s KTTC in Rochester notes that Schmitz is looking to recoup her $1,000-plus vet bill. She’s also claims she tried to get Alaina back earlier, but the sitter didn’t return her calls.
