ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Thursday, June 20, 1996 TAG: 9606200058
SECTION: EDITORIAL PAGE: A-10 EDITION: METRO
OFFERS ARE pouring in to save Charlotte, Wilbur and Arnold, the three potbellied pigs that Vinton has banned. But, while the prospect of a storybook ending for the trio has improved, the moral of the story remains far from clear.
For those who haven't been following this porcine drama, the three little pigs are pets of the Saunders family, a large household of children and animals headed by Gerald and Emma Saunders. When some neighbors complained that the pigs caused an odor, sometimes ran loose and could be heard squealing from a distance, Vinton tried to get rid of the animals under a vague prohibition against keeping livestock in the town.
That didn't pass muster in court, so the Town Council revised the ordinance to specifically mention Vietnamese potbellied pigs. It might as well have called Charlotte, Wilbur and Arnold by name. Their bacon was fried.
This week, another court rejected the family's argument that their pigs shouldn't be covered by provisions in the ordinance that were added only recently - and Emma Saunders said she'd probably have the three killed.
Let's hope they end up instead with one of the pig lovers who have offered to help. That they won't be living in Vinton is certain. Less certain is whether this episode found the best way to resolve an example of the ages-old conflict between individual freedom and community needs.
To the complaints of some neighbors, the town responded with a ban. Yet other neighbors said the pigs have been no problem. And most complaints in early reports seemed to boil down to the notion that the Saunderses simply had too many pigs (not to mention their other pets). Vinton could have enforced its two-pet-per-household limit, and let two of the pigs remain.
Communities also have rights, of course. And odors, excessive noise and animals running loose certainly are legitimate community concerns. People shouldn't live among others without respecting their neighbors' right to be left undisturbed.
But perhaps the dispute could have been resolved if the Saunderses had been asked either to address the complaints of unhappy neighbors or get rid of the source of their complaints, the pigs. Maybe the matter could have been handled under nuisance laws.
Indeed, rather than dictating that pigs shall be livestock, even when they are pets, the community should be concerned with any pets if they are a nuisance.
LENGTH: Short : 49 linesby CNB