One that I have been involved in now for years is Sid ~ the potbellied pig in Iowa and his boy Zack
This is a petition we started for Sid and Zack back in 2004
To: Mayor of Dakota City, Iowa
Dear Mayor of Dakota City,
We petition that Sid, the potbellied pig be allowed to stay with the Dahlstens; Whose home is in the city limits. It is not too much to ask for an exception when it is for the well-being of a child. Keep in mind this animal has caused no nuisance and nobody has complained.
This was and is huge news in the potbellied pig world. My friend still has Sid at her place to date and the Dahlsten's are still fighting for Sid
DAKOTA CITY, Iowa - An advocacy group is working to reunite a boy and his pig.
Eleven-year-old Zachary Dahlsten was ordered to give up Sid the potbellied pig because an ordinance bans livestock within the city limits.
Zachary has autism and other health problems, and Sid was his therapy pet. Since Sid's removal, their son hasn't been the same, Kim and Frank Dahlsten said.
The Dahlstens say Zachary still looks for his pet pig and tries to play with him. They visit the farm where Sid lives, but Zachary becomes upset when they have to leave, the Dahlstens said.
A representative of Iowa Protection and Advocacy Services Inc. wrote a letter to Dakota City Mayor David Lee, asking that the council reconsider the decision. The advocacy group calls Sid a "life source" for Zachary.
Lee criticized the letter, saying the group didn't have its facts straight. He declined to comment further but said at Wednesday's council meeting that the city would study the matter.
A little background: An autistic boy's Vietnamese potbellied pig was evicted from Dakota City last year after city leaders decided the animal violated rules banning livestock in town. A magistrate judge agreed with the decision. Four months later, the decision has resulted in one lonely boy, two upset parents, a banished pig and a group that wants to do something about it.
Zack Dahlsten, 12, is still waiting for his pet pig to come home. An advocacy group that helps Iowans with disabilities is trying to make that happen.
Last week, Iowa Protection and Advocacy Services called on Dakota City's council members to make an exception to a policy that prohibits certain animals from the city limits. Zack's parents, Frank and Kim Dahlsten, say the potbellied pig is therapeutic for the boy, who also suffers from mental retardation and partial blindness.
The council is considering the request and will make a decision within a month, Mayor David Lee said this week.
"The child has been very distraught, very upset," said Sylvia Piper, executive director of the advocacy group. "We feel that the mayor and council need to do the right thing on behalf of this child."
Piper said the boy achieved an incredible breakthrough by developing a strong bond with the pig, named Sid.
In June, the council voted to deny the Dahlsten family's request to keep the pig. The family kept Sid anyway, and the matter ended up in court. Magistrate Judge Kurt Stoebe decided in November that keeping Sid violated the city's livestock ordinance.
The pig now lives on a farm about 30 miles from Dakota City, Kim Dahlsten said. She said her son has been through counseling to help him deal with the loss of his pet.
The family visits the pig occasionally, "but it's not the same as it was before," Dahlsten said.
"He's changed ever since the pig has been out of the house, and he's actually worse when we see the pig (and) then come back home."
Lee, the mayor, said council members are researching the facts of the case and reviewing materials provided by the advocacy group. He said people have the wrong impression about the council's actions last year.
DAKOTA CITY, Iowa, USA: An autistic boy’s pet pot-bellied pig named Sid, forced out of the city because of laws prohibiting livestock from being housed within city limits, will not be allowed to return.
Frank and Kim Dahlsten say Sid was a companion pet for their son, Zack, who has attention-deficit disorder, autism, mental retardation and numerous other conditions.
The Dahlstens fought against a City Council decision to enforce city code and have the pig removed. In 2004, a Humboldt County magistrate judge told the Dahlstens Sid had to go.
During a City Council meeting this week, Frank Dahlsten presented a petition asking that Sid be allowed to return to the city. The petition, which contained 25 signatures, was what the father called a last effort before a civil suit he has pledged to file.
The Dahlsten’s petition was met with another by Brenda Sorenson, who collected 115 signatures this week from citizens who supported the council’s decision to ban Sid from the city.
The council unanimously denied the family’s request.
This was an article I saved as well. My friend Dr. John Carr who was at the time teaching in Iowa stepped up and helped with Sid. He is one of the worlds top experts in swine ~ When England had the foot and mouth outbreak he was over there setting up protocal and biosecurity measures to assist in stopping the spread of the disease. Now Dr. Carr is teaching in Austrailia and working with pigs there.
Associated Press
03/03/06
County OK'd pig's return, now says it must go
Dakota City, Ia. — A boy’s pet potbellied pig, forced out of the city because of laws prohibiting livestock from being kept within the city limits, was allowed back in so it could be treated for pneumonia.
Now that the pig, named Sid, is healthy the city wants him to go.
Frank and Kim Dahlsten say Sid was a companion pet for their son Zack, who has attention deficit disorder, autism, mental retardation and numerous other conditions.
The Dahlstens fought against a city council decision to enforce city code and have the pig removed. In 2004, a Humboldt County magistrate judge told the Dahlstens Sid had to go.
Since then, Sid has been living on a nearby farm and the Dahlstens have visited him each month. In January, they found their pet had pneumonia.
‘‘He was down to about 64 pounds and was sick, so we brought him home so he could get better,’’ Frank Dahlsten said.
Dahlsten said he went to Sheriff Dean Kruger in mid-January to let him know Sid was back in town. The county attorney sent the Dahlstens a letter saying they could keep Sid because he was being treated by a veterinarian.
That didn’t set well with Mayor David Lee.
‘‘We weren’t happy about the pig being back in town,’’ Lee said. ‘‘It was in violation of city code.’’
Now that Sid is well, the city wants Sid to leave again and Frank Dahlsten has been charged with contempt of court. They appeared in court Thursday to argue against the charge.
‘‘My argument was that the case from 2004 was resolved,’’ said Derek Johnson, the Dahlstens’ attorney. ‘‘There isn’t any part of the original decision that Frank Dahlsten’s in violation of. If he’s going to be charged, it should be for being in violation of the city code against having livestock in town.’’
John Carr, an assistant professor and swine consultant at Iowa State University, said he had witnessed the interaction between Sid and Zack.
‘‘One of the few joys Zack has in his life is relating to an animal,’’ said Carr. ‘‘Sid won’t jump up, he’ll just sit there. He’s also been trained to roll over, sit and beg. The pig is a good companion for Zack.’’
Carr said he’s concerned with the conditions at the farm where Sid was living.
‘‘The barn, at the time I was out there, was suitable,’’ said Carr. ‘‘The big issue ... is that pigs are fairly sociable. The problem is that he was basically in solitary confinement out there. That’s not good for Sid’s mental health.’’
The court is expected to make a decision about Sid’s future in the next week.
Meanwhile, Frank Dahlsten said his son is enjoying have Sid back at home.
‘‘When Sid was gone, Zack really missed him,’’ he said. ‘‘He didn’t understand where he had gone.’’
I have other cool articles and stories I can pull out ~ well I think they are cool...most here dont seem so. It takes a special person to own a potbellied pig ~
Any how ~ Dawn lived in Hindsdale, Illinois and she had her 2 pots ~ Cza Cza and Petunia. One day a new nosey neighbor moved in and that is when her troubles started. Her pigs had already lived there for years, but this new nosey neighbor poking her head over the fence started a war.
Dawn put up a great fight. Her pigs came here to live for the next 2 years while she fought Hindale. We got her story told national ~ we can get things going in the potbellied pig world...just like we did with Sid.
We were even able to get Alan Eisenberg to step up and help and we were on the radio a few times with him. Countless newpaper articles and hundreds of thousands of dollars spent to save these pigs and their home.
In the end ~ Dawn said (well I can't put here what she said).... and moved to a suburb of Chicago that welcomed her and her pigs with open arms.
I'll have to dig out pictures and stories of this. This actually went on BEFORE Sid so we were all stirred up and ready to sting in the pig world.
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Great stuff!
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