Queens Family Fights City to Keep Pet Pig

A northeast Queens family is going hog wild after the city demanded that they get rid of their beloved pet.

The Forgione family, of Whitestone, said they were upset that the city’s Department of Health and Mental Hygiene notified them that they are not allowed to keep Petey, their miniature Juliana pig, as a pet.

On Tuesday morning, state Sen. Tony Avella, D-Bayside, joined the family as well as several Long Island residents with pigs for pets to call on the DOH to change its mind.

“He’s a wonderful addition to our family,” Danielle Forgione said of Petey. “We love this little guy.”

The Forgiones brought the pig home for her children in April after their uncle was killed in a motorcycle crash.

Forgione’s children are allergic to pet hair, so she discovered that the short-haired pig would not bother their allergies.

“He’s part of the family – he’s like a brother to me,” said Joseph Forgione, 13.

The DOH could not immediately be reached for comment. Currently, city rules prohibit residents from harboring pig species.

Avella said he was thinking about introducing a law that would allow for residents of the five boroughs to own pigs for pets.

“While lax enforcement is the norm at construction sites throughout the city, the city decides to go after a family and their beloved pet pig,” he said. “Not only is the pig house-trained and well-behaved, it has helped the children deal with some very traumatic events.”

Avella and the Forgiones were joined by College Point’s Nadine Darsanlal and Smithtown’s Rocco Rinaldi and Jessica Belli, all of whom have miniature pigs.

“The Department of Health is saying they’ll take me to court,” said Darsanlal, who brought her pig, Wilbur, to Tuesday’s press conference in Little Bay Park. “I don’t want to have to look over my shoulder every time we take a walk.”

Forgione said she believes the city has misconceptions of miniature pigs.

“He’s so clean and completely house broken,” she said of Petey. “It only took two days to train him. They are very small animals. And he doesn’t roll around in the dirt.”