Strawberry, an emotional support pig, is at the center of a dispute between a Wisconsin village and the woman who loves her.

Over the last few years, we've seen some fairly unusual animals being called "emotional support animals." Not to be confused with "service animals," some of the odder creatures that people claimed to derive a soothing benefit from include:

  • Peacocks
  • Turkeys
  • Kangaroos
  • Ducks
  • Squirrels
  • Miniature Horses
  • Goats
  • Turtles
  • Hedgehogs

For Christi Sadiq, a resident of Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin, Strawberry the Pig is her alternative pet and emotional support animal.

The problem is that the village has ruled that Strawberry has to go, and Christi is putting up a fight.

With some opposition from residents at a board meeting and a vote, the request for Strawberry to remain a pet was denied. Sadiq was told she had to keep Strawberry on her property and take the animal out of the village when she traveled to Florida in late September.

Sadiq says “they wanted to keep her hidden away from the community, but like any other animal, like a dog, she needs walking and exercise.”

After multiple reports of the pig "roaming the village," a 4-1 vote of the village board declared that Strawberry has to be gone by the end of the month.

Sadiq’s attorney Joshua Levy of Milwaukee Firm Husch Blackwell believes the city used the disorderly conduct code to keep Strawberry out and told the board “your ordinance is whether Strawberry is disorderly and there was no evidence at that hearing whatsoever about disorderly conduct.”

 

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