Montreal woman battles to keep her social media-star pig, Timothy
Sandra Propetto has had her “grumpy old man” since 2014, but never applied for a permit because she didn’t know it was required.
Author of the article:
Article content
By Sunday, more than 4,000 people had signed a petition saying Sandra Propetto should be permitted to keep her 11-year-old pet potbellied pig, Timothy.
“He’s not just any pig; he’s family and the bond we share is irreplaceable,” the LaSalle resident wrote on her petition, which she launched July 30. By Sunday evening, it had more than 4,000 signatures.
Recommended Videos
tap here to see other videos from our team.
Montreal woman battles to keep her social media-star pig, Timothy Back to video
tap here to see other videos from our team.
Pigs have never been permitted as pets in Montreal. In 2018, an order was adopted whereby those who already had pet pigs were permitted to keep them — as long as they procured a permit within a 30-day window that year and they renewed the permit every year. They were, in effect, grandfathered.
Propetto, 36, says she was unaware of that order and so never applied for a permit. In mid-July, she was advised by a city worker there had been complaints about Timmy and, furthermore, he was not registered in 2018. Propetto asked if she could pay the permit fees retroactively and keep Timmy, but was told she had 30 days to have him re-homed.
Propetto said she has tried unsuccessfully to discover what the complaints are. “I am being sent everywhere. I don’t know who has this list or why they didn’t provide it initially. I still have no idea what the complaints could be.”
She knows “a lot of people think of pigs as dirty. But these are not pigs that are bred to be slaughtered. These are domesticated pigs. These are pets.”
Timmy is hypoallergenic, for one, and has no odour. “My house is so clean,” she said. I take care of my place and I take care of him. He is so clean.”
When Propetto brought him home from the breeder in 2014, he was eight weeks old and weighed 10 or 15 pounds. Now, he weighs about 136 pounds. All these years, he has been a loving, beloved and intelligent companion animal.
“Timmy can do remarkable things like giving his paw (or rather, hoof), playing the piano, spinning for treats and he gives kisses,” she says in her petition. “He is exceptionally tidy, signalling at the door when he needs to go outside to do his ‘business’ and consistently using the same designated areas. He also enjoys cuddling and sleeping under duvet covers, a charming reflection of his unique temperament.”
Timothy also has an Instagram account, with more than 40,000 followers.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BzbiqeMBf7V/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading
Growing up, Propetto’s parents never wanted her to have pets. “And I said: ‘When I move out of here, I am going to have animals — and when I learned about pigs, I said I wanted one.”
Why a pig? “I love animals,” she said. “And I have always wanted weird animals. I am a creative person, an artist. I had a snake before. I had a hedgehog.”
Her parents have come to love Timmy, Propetto said. “My dad was never really an animal person but, when Timmy was much smaller, he would jump on the couch and cuddle with him. It sparked something in him.”
Propetto said she reached out on the Facebook pages of a few LaSalle websites to ask if Timmy was bothersome to anyone and “so many people said: ‘We love Timmy.’ Kids come by from the daycare and chant his name.”
That’s in part what inspired her to launch the petition, she said.
Propetto lives in a semi-basement unit of a building with a large backyard. The landlady, who lives upstairs, initially didn’t want a tenant with a pet, but has come to adore Timothy, she said.
“We have a garden planted for him. He eats fruits and vegetables,” Propetto said. She has a leash and a harness for him, but it’s not necessary to walk him. “He has the big yard and I pick up after him.”
Timothy eats pig chow morning and evening and, during the day, fruits and vegetables from the garden during the day, including kale, tomatoes and his favourites — carrots and red peppers.
And now that he is a senior pig, “he doesn’t want to walk around too much,” she said. “He goes outside, stands still a little bit and wants to go inside and sleep. I call him my grumpy old man. He is around 75 in human years.”
Propetto works in claims management and, when she goes to the office once or twice a week, she leaves the television on for him — with cartoons playing.
@timothypig
On Monday evening, she is registered to speak at LaSalle council’s monthly meeting. Propetto said she will state her case in the hope she will be granted some kind of exemption so she can have a permit for Timothy.
“I would love to have the opportunity to register him properly,” Propetto said, adding she would happily pay any arrears.
“He has a few years left. I want to be able for him to live out those years with me.”
The lifespan of potbellied pigs is 10 to 15 years and Propetto said she can’t imagine him not spending his last years with her.
There are a couple of places that can take him, but the idea of giving him up “breaks my heart,” she said.
“I am the only mom he has known. He has a giant bed and mattress here. I would miss him so much and wonder how he would take it.”
Postmedia is committed to maintaining a lively but civil forum for discussion. Please keep comments relevant and respectful. Comments may take up to an hour to appear on the site. You will receive an email if there is a reply to your comment, an update to a thread you follow or if a user you follow comments. Visit our Community Guidelines for more information.