California Culture

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Potbellied Pig Not Welcomed in Seal Beach

Remember the potbellied pet pig craze? Well guess what? Those little adorable pigs grew up and when they reached adulthood, they weighed 250 pounds, they squealed when left alone without a mate, and the neighbors began to complain! Recently the California city of Sierra Madre passed laws allowing a family to keep their pet pig, while Seal Beach passed laws NOT allowing pigs or hogs as pets.  A campaign is underway by the owner of Bubba, the Seal Beach Pig, to allow her to keep a 234 lb. pet she's had since Bubba was just a babe.  Madonna Grimsley, the owner, is in Stage IV cancer and fighting for her life, as well as fighting to keep her pet which she says keeps her spirits up.

Grimsley rents an apartment just a  block or two from the beach, living in a downstairs unit. Other tenants have complained about the noise and smell, which she defends by saying the pig sleeps all day so it doesn't make noise, and it also doesn't smell.  However, one former renter who lived upstairs submitted a letter to local newspapers about his experience and complaints during his time as Bubba's neighbor. Jarred Robinson of Seal Beach says that it is a fact that Bubba screams and squeals a lot.

"Living in Seal Beach, you get used to the noises of animals, fog horns, traffic, neighbors, etc.… this I understand.  But, I can assure you, you do not get used to the shrill screech of a pig," he says. "I moved to Seal Beach from a farm in Oklahoma, where we had hogs and other animals.  I can assure you that the unique pungency of pig feces is not something you have to second guess.  The onset of flies ensued and summer months when the Santa Ana's blew made the smell in my apartment almost unbearable."

 


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