OK, so I haven’t been here a whole heck of a lot lately, but there also hasn’t been a heck of a lot to boil my blood, either – at least nothing that I can say publicly.
But…
Monday night’s decision to not change the animal control rules and allow potbellied pigs to be kept as pets is downright, well, pigheaded.
Collingwood council had the chance to make a progressive decision and allow the species to be kept as pets, much in the same way that Hamilton has approved pigs to be kept as pets.
We’re not talking about livestock operations on St. Marie Street; we’re not suddenly going to permit apartment dwellers to house Clydesdale horses. Councillor Mike Edwards seem to be arguing exactly that, in expressing a point that if you allow pigs, then what else do you allow. Well, that’s a fallacy, an appeal to emotion that has as much relevance as the discussion during the last term of council that allowing working people to keep cube vans at home would result in everyone getting one.
If we’re going to use that argument, then there’s people living in apartments in this town who own Rottweilers and pitbulls; and quite frankly, I’d rather have a pig living next door than a Rottie.
Council could have done the right thing, permitting the animal under certain conditions – much in the same way that it licenses dogs and limits the number of canines living in a household.
It will not lead to people wanting to keep other beasties; all council has to do is exercise a modicum of common sense when it comes to determining what animals are appropriate to be kept (outside of being in a rural agriculture area, as some properties in the west end are).
Monday’s decision was right up there with the decision of the last council to move restaurant patios to the curb. It lacked logic, and flew in the face of public opinion. Kudos to Deputy-mayor Rick Lloyd, and councillors Keith Hull and Ian Chadwick for standing with Wilbur, the potbellied pig taken in by the Pascoe family.
