THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, August 7, 1994 TAG: 9408060100
SECTION: VIRGINIA BEACH BEACON PAGE: 04 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY GARY EDWARDS, CORRESPONDENT
LENGTH: Medium: 97 lines
Is ``Pork Chop'' the pot-bellied pig a good-natured pet or a swine out of place in a residential neighborhood?
It depends on whom you ask.
``He's a pet, an exotic animal. He's great around the kids. Doesn't bark or growl. Doesn't wallow in mud or stink. Heck, he's smaller than our two dogs,'' said owner Anthony Fermil of the 15-month-old, fully grown, 50-pound pig. ``We've had him since he was 8 weeks old.''
No, the city maintains. Pork Chop is a pig. He's livestock and city law prohibits livestock in residential settings. According to Virginia Beach officials, Pork Chop may be cuddly and cute, but he's still classified as ``swine'' and therefore is in violation of city code section 501(a).
Fermil says he is prepared to force a change in the law through the courts and is scheduled to appear before a judge Aug. 30 to respond to the charges against him.
Fermil has contacted various city officials, including City Councilman Louis Jones, Mayor Meyera Oberndorf and Vice Mayor William Sessoms. So far, his efforts have been for naught, Fermil said.
Jones readily admits his opposition to Fermil's intention to change the law.
``I am not interested in changing the City Code on this. The statute is specific about what kinds of animals are pets, or companion animals, and livestock and swine are not included,'' Jones said.
The problem actually didn't start when Fermil got the pig. It began to sizzle in June after Fermil, his wife Lisa and their two sons (Travis, 5, and Kiel, 1) left Chick's Beach, a laid back enclave on the Chesapeake Bay, and moved to Thoroughgood, a section with expensive homes and lots of tradition.
``I was sitting and playing with my boys, the dogs and Pork Chop one day (at Chick's Beach) and animal control drove by and waved at us. Didn't say a thing,'' said Fermil.
``But we wanted our kids to have a chance to live here. Let's face it, it is a nice place,'' said Fermil, adding that Thoroughgood's staid image is changing. ``There are more young people moving in and we got a good deal on the house.'' He grew up in nearby Bayville Park.
Fermil's next-door neighbors aren't unhappy with his exotic pet.
``They haven't said anything,'' said Fermil. ``Somebody complained. They won't tell us who filed the complaint. The Sheriff's Office, I guess it was, served me with papers. I'm not sure because I've always been a law-abiding citizen.''
Cliff Councill lives next door to the Fermils. He chuckled when asked about the porcine problem.
``It doesn't bother me, isn't disturbing me a bit,'' said Councill, who's retired. He added that he wouldn't be aware of Pork Chop's presence if he hadn't seen him playing in the yard.
Norfolk and Chesapeake allow pot-bellied pigs to be kept as pets.
``Pot-bellied pigs are not illegal in Norfolk, but owners must obtain an exotic pet permit,'' explained Joanne Hodapp of Norfolk Animal Control.
In Chespeake, the animals come under the zoning ordinance regulations. Among these: a veterinarian's certification may be required; no breeding or sales is allowed; no more than one such animal may be kept on a lot of less than two acres and no more than two on larger lots; the animals may not be housed outdoors and no outdoor shelters can be erected for this purpose; the pig must not exceed 120 pounds; and it must be vaccinated every six months against all major diseases.
Fermil wants Virginia Beach to make similar allowances.
He knows of other pot-bellied pig owners in Virginia Beach, some of whose pets are treated by Pork Chop's personal veterinarian, Dr. M.M. ``Tookie'' Myers.
``There are a lot of them out there,'' said Myers, who recently moved his practice from Virginia Beach to Midway Veterinarian Hospital in Chesapeake. ``I treat quite a few. I don't have 50 on record, but there are a lot out there that I'm aware of.''
Myers said he would like to see the pets legalized in Virginia Beach.
``They're pretty innocuous,'' he said. ``There are no reported cases of rabies in these animals. And it's very rare for these anmials to bother anyone.
``They're not really livestock. They're exotic animals.''
Myers' major concern is that many of the pigs aren't getting the proper medical care because they're considered illegal in Virginia Beach.
``There are a lot of them that are not being seen, because the people have to be undercover about it,'' he said.
Fermil vows his persistence in pushing for changes in the city's code.
``I'm going to keep trying. I'm not going to just give up,'' he said. ``If these animals are so bad, why do other cities allow them as pets?''
People, including law-enforcement officers and judicial officials, shouldn't take Pork Chop's name too literally either, cautioned his owner.
``He's not a pig like you make food, sausages and bacon out of,'' said Fermil. ``He's Pork Chop, one of our pets.'' ILLUSTRATION: Staff photo by MORT FRYMAN
Pork Chop, the controversial pot-bellied pig, and one of Anthony
Fermil's dogs wait impatiently for a snack from their master.
by CNB