Animal services head hopes pig permit doesn't open doors to other illegal pets
'We can have people now coming forward saying my goat is a service animal or my mini pony is a service animal'
The head of Winnipeg's Animal Services Agency says a permit that allows a West End woman to temporarily keep a pig in her home should not be taken as signal the city is prepared to make similar exceptions for other animals that aren't allowed as pets.
Animal services chief operating officer Leland Gordon said the special permit granted to Emily Sydor, who has been given six months to demonstrate her pot-bellied pig Podgy is a service animal, is a one-off permit that deals with the specific circumstances of a woman who suffers from mental illness and maintains she has a human right to continue housing an animal that provides comfort and relief from her disability.
"It's very specifically tailored just to this scenario, to work with this lady," Gordon said Friday, after council's protection, community services and parks committee rejected Sydor's appeal of an order to find somewhere else to house Podgy.
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The denial of the appeal effectively upheld the city's responsible pet ownership bylaw, which does not allow any pig species to be kept as pets in the city.
Gordon said the temporary permit should be seen as the city's effort to keep an open mind as to what constitutes a service animal, something he said the city must do given that the Manitoba Human Rights Commission considers access to a service animal a human right.
Gordon told the committee Sydor has demonstrated she has a disability and receives assistance from her pig but now must demonstrate he is trained to provide that assistance.
He said he worked with the city's human rights consultant and city lawyers to craft the temporary permit, which gives Sydor until Jan. 31 to list what steps she will take to train the pig and until June 1 to demonstrate the steps she took.
Nonetheless, Gordon said he fears other Winnipeggers may attempt to abuse this precedent.
"We can have people now coming forward saying my goat is a service animal, or my mini pony is a service animal or my alligator is a service animal," he said, adding the Manitoba Human Rights Commission language about service animals is not specific.
Therapy animals not protected, trainer says
During the committee meeting, Coun. Ross Eadie (Mynarski) made a point of asking Sydor if she understood the special permit pertains to a service animal, not a pot-bellied pig.
She assured she does understand, even though she does not understand why pot-bellied pigs are not legal pets in Winnipeg.
Meanwhile, animal trainer George Leonard expressed concern the city may be muddying the waters when it comes to the difference between a therapy animal and a service animal.
"A therapy animal is for an emotional condition and is not protected under the charter for access rights," he told CBC News. "A service animal is for a diagnosed disability for an individual to use that service animal to mitigate their disability."
Leonard said he is not aware of anyone who trains service pigs.
"Please show me one and then also show me the standard that this animal will be tested to prove that it is equal to a service dog," he said.
There is at least one case involving a service pig in Canada. A man was allowed to keep a pot-bellied pig as a service animal in Kitchener, Ont., CTV Kitchener and the Toronto Sun reported.
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