Connellsville health officers Tom Currey earlier this month cited Cynthia Oakes, the pig's owner, for violating the city ordinance passed in 1974. Connellsville is a city about 35 miles southeast of Pittsburgh, in an otherwise rural area.
Oakes says this type of pig is generally recognized as a pet, not a farm animal, noting that former Gov. Tom Ridge set aside a day in 1998 honoring the animals as pets.
Oakes' family has been ordered to get rid of the pig within 90 days, but city Councilman David McIntire says an exception will likely be granted before then.
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