Missing a pig? Cops round up wandering oinker in Beaverton

By John Tierney, KATU.com Staff Published: Mar 21, 2013 at 2:17 PM PDT Last Updated: Apr 26, 2013 at 1:26 PM PDT
Missing a pig? Cops round up wandering oinker in Beaverton
Officers try to get the lost pig into a transport van to bring it to an animal shelter. (Photo from Beaverton Police Department)

BEAVERTON, Ore. – Are you missing a pig? Think it might be in Beaverton? If so, give the Beaverton Police Department a call.

Officers got a call this morning around 11:20 about a pig running loose near SW Dale Ave and Barlow Road, Officer Mike Rowe said. He described the loose pig as a “regular farm pig” (for us city dwellers, that is about three feet long and two feet tall).

When officers arrived a nearby resident had already captured the pig and corralled it in a yard.

Luckily, one of the police officers was a member of Future Farmers of America in his younger days, so he had experience handling farm pigs. With his help, the officers managed to get the pig to the Bonnie Hayes Animal Shelter in Hillsboro.

“We just want to get him to the people who are missing him. Right now, he is housed in a dog kennel in our isolation area. He is safe and sound, but obviously we all want him to go back to his owner,” said shelter manager Debbie Wood.

Officers used a department transport van to load up the pig and get it to the shelter.

Rowe said he’s not sure where the pig came from, although he believes it came from a home in the area.

Of course, he had to point out that Beaverton residents are not allowed to own farm animals, with the exception of up to four female chickens. Still, Rowe clarified this pig's owner will not face a citation for the code violation.

"We just want to make sure that the pig is safe," Rowe said.

If this is your pig or you know who owns the pig, you can call the Beaverton Police Department at (503) 629-0111 or the animal shelter at (503) 846-7041.