How would you feel if your best friend was taken away from you by the government in the city you lived in? Unfortunately a young autistic boy is facing this problem because his city council has removed his 80 – pound best friend Loopey, who just so happens to be a pig. Do you believe that the city should get rid of this rule completely? Or possibly should the city grant a special right for the young boy and allow him to keep the pig? Or do you believe that the city is completely right in what it’s doing?
I think the city should make a legitimate law to let Anthony keep his pig Loopey. I used to be a peer counselor at my high school, and I worked with autistic and mentally handicapped children. More than anything, these kids just want friends, someone to talk to and relate with. No one gave them the chance to just talk and listen everyday. The main problem with autistic children is that they are not social and do not know how to be, which is exactly Anthony’s case. To take away something that meant so much to him is horrible. It really was his best friend; someone he could talk to and not get judged by and someone he had to look forward to seeing at the end of the day. It literally is heartbreaking to know that Anthony is now alone and cannot see his only true friend everyday. This is why I believe the city should reconsider their laws and make a new one based on the animal, size, weigh, etc. The pig is 80 pounds....just about the same weight as a child. Unless the animal presents a threat to anyone around Anthony’s home or causes potential harm to anyone, I don’t see the point in removing it from the city. The pig has not put anyone in a life threatening situation. I’m sure a pitbull dog displays the same amount of harm that this pig goes. To take away something so innocent from a child who is socially inept is disappointing. Obviously, I do not believe tigers, giraffes, and bears should be allowed as pets, but if an animal that requires minimal effort to take care of and is not dangerous, let the boy keep it! Autistic children already have a hard enough time getting through each day thinking they will never have a friend, and the city just made it harder for Anthony to be a normal kid in today’s society. They need to absolutely create a law or amend one soon.
ReplyDeleteObviously, my natural response would be to give me my best friend back but publicly known rules cannot be broken. Once you start making it okay for one person to bend the rules a little it causes problems as a whole because then everyone will want a little leeway with the system. Why did anyone even have to make it known that this young boy had an oversized pet? Rules are bent and broken daily with no outside world knowledge! This pig wasn’t hurting anyone and was allowing this boy to have happiness in life. Shame on the person who brought this up as an issue. Personally I think the city should not get rid of the rules it has already mandated but I also think it should worry about the more important problems happening in it’s community. I think there are more issues happening to control verses a boy having a pet pig. A personal experience is that one of neighbors, which we both live in the city, had over the “legal” limit of animals in her house. Yet for the fact that her animals were trained and didn’t interfere with anyone, no one complained. They weren’t doing any harm. So although she technically was “breaking a set rule” no one had a reason to tell on her. I think something as harmless as a pig should be an understand “shush” rule in that community. But once it has became known to the public than yes I believe it should be handled and taken care of. Rules are set to keep order and order is needed in our world.
ReplyDeleteCity officials have a right to protect their citizens from things that they believe could be potentially dangerous or harmful to its citizens. I could easily understand, then, if they wanted to remove a young boys pet tiger from his home. However because the animal is generally mild in nature, and is in fact one of the cleanest animals one could have, I believe it is absolutely preposterous for the city council to remove Anthony’s pig from his home. He is certainly not in any eminent danger with the pig in his house, and it most likely does not pose a threat to neighbors surrounding his home. The city council should especially respect this boys right to keep his pig because of his mental illness. Studies have shown that children with mental illnesses who frequently interact with animals have developed better social skills as they grew up. By removing Anthony’s best friend from his home, the city council is traumatizing a mentally ill child that will probably never recover from this episode. Mark Hadden’s novel “The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nightime,” a fictional first-person narrative of a boy with autism, chronicles the boys journey to try and discover who murdered his neighbor’s dog, who incidentally was one of his best friends. Try as they might, neither his father nor his teacher can shake him from his obsession with trying to uncover the culprit. Because fixation can be a symptom of autism, one can reasonably assume that memories of this incident and his best friend will haunt poor Anthony for quite a long time.
ReplyDeleteEmily S.,
ReplyDeleteI completely agree with you. Mentally handicapped children do not experience the same stages of grief as those without an illness, so this episode was obviously devastating for Anthony and something that he cannot quickly recover from. Autistic children are so worried about messing up what they say to people, and Anthony didn’t have to face that issue with Loopey. I fully understand that laws can’t be broken, but they can be amended and new ones can be passed. They could even call it “Anthony’s Law”, which allows pigs or certain farm animals less than a certain amount of weight to reside with humans. It cannot be that difficult to revise a law or add new details to which ever law bans this pig from the city. I find it perplexing that the city really won’t let Anthony keep a seemingly harmless animal in his home when it has never staged a threat to people around him. I’m sure there has been a dog or two in the city who has attacked someone, yet it is acceptable to be kept in a home. It’s a pig for crying out loud, not a crazed cougar ready to find its next prey.
Chelsea,
ReplyDeleteThat is an excellent idea! That would be great if someone proposed to the city council that a law concerning mentally handicapped children and housing farm animals or other harmless animals in their home. It would be a beautiful ending to this horrible situation if something beneficial came from it. And you are absolutely right, having a pet like Loopey must have certainly been helping Anthony with his social skills, and it is an absolute shame that he no longer has his best friend. I never considered it before you mentioned it, but you made an excellent point by saying that there are certain types of dogs, such as Pitbulls, that are certainly more harmful than a pig. If the city is willing to remove a pig from a handicapped boy’s home, then they should just round up any potentially harmful dog in the city and send them to the pound.
Let the boy have his pig. If Loopey is not being a nuisance or hurting anyone, causing any problems with the neighbors or spreading any disease then Anthony should be able to keep his pig. It seems that Loopey has actually helped Anthony to overcome a lot of problems he had before Loopey became his pet. To me this is isn’t necessarily about bending a rule, it’s more about allowing someone to be happy. The pursuit of happiness, if you will. If they are doing this simply for the sake of following this rule I think the city government needs to look at this from a different angle. My best friend’s sister is autistic and I know how she, just like other autistic children, dislike changes. When my friend, who is very close to her little sister, left about a month ago for school, her sister had a really hard time. Actually, she is still trying to adjust. She’s been acting out in school and at home and not doing well on her school work. Although this situation is not exactly the same I’m sure you can see the point I’m trying to make. I’m sure Anthony would feel much of the same feelings and discomfort that my friend’s sister felt if his best friend was taken away. To me this boy’s pig is his pet and he should be allowed to have that.
ReplyDelete-Unjani
Chelsea,
ReplyDeleteI can very much relate to your initial response. One of my close friends from back home had a sister who had autism, and they lived one house down from me. I think its really cool that you worked with autistic and mentally handicapped kids at your school. I think a lot of people just are unsure of how to respond sometimes to these kids, and that makes them scared. But truly, the greatest thing you can give them is to spend time with them and make sure they know that somebody cares about them. I'm also friends with another family back home who own a lot of horses and started a program in our area that teaches kids with mental disabilities or any physical disability how to ride, and its amazing the difference that the interaction with the animals makes for them. Even more so, its the love of the people that are taking the time to give something special to these kids that they can look forward to.
I think there could be room for compromise here. Clearly, animals have played a large part in being a source of therapy for kids with autism and other mental handicaps. Do I think it was truly neccessary for the city council to have Loopey removed from Anthony's home? No. But there are going to be legal sticklers out there who are going to refuse to budge on this issue. However, I think that as a community, the people of this town should realize the impact that this whole thing has made and find a way to provide Anthony and other kids like him with what they need. Could the city, if they haven't already, set up some kind of program for kids with disabilities where they can interact with animals on a weekly basis? Granted, this would take some work to put together, and it would not offer the same convenience of having a pet at home, but it would at least be a step towards finding a resolution. I think that Anthony should definitely get to be reunited with Loopey, but it actually might be better for him in the long run if the time he got to spend with Loopey was slightly more controlled. If the city could provide a place for Anthony and other kids to go take care of and work with animals, then Anthony would still be getting to interact with Loopey, but he would also be interacting with other people, and perhaps not feel so alone.
ReplyDeleteI see a correlation between all these topics…
ReplyDeleteWhat an interesting case! I’d say let’s look at it from an individual basis and really concentrate on the young autistic boy, but there lies some problems. While you can look at this situation and see that the young autistic boy is in need of a friend and this pig, Loopey, just so happens to be that best friend. You can also say that in no way is this little pig doing any immediate harm to anyone else. Furthermore, if the kid likes the pig, who are we to say that the he or she cannot have the pig? Many people own pets like cats and dogs. So, why can’t the young boy, Anthony, own the pig? To him, it’s just a best friend.
Well, here is the major problem: like many other situations, if you begin to look at cases like this from a case by case point of view you are going to start having to allow more and more cases. The pig is over the ‘legal’ limit. This is the law. The pig is not a legal pet to have, bottom line. There are pets in America that are not allowed, or at least strongly frowned upon. Most people do not just have the pet anyway. I’m sorry Anthony, but this time around you happened to be in the wrong place, in the wrong time of your life. This happens to be the way life goes, and because this law is in effect, I think Anthony should have to abide by the rule.
Jordan,
ReplyDeleteI really liked what you said about this. I am fairly sympathetic towards most things, and by all means I am sympathetic towards an autistic child who just lost his best friend. However, I like that you said that everyone would start wanting “leeway with the system.” I think this is very true. You let one person do this, more and more people will start wanting to bend the rules just slightly to fit their own personal case. On another note, though, I also like that you commented on the fact that the community is worrying about petty things like such. I think it’s funny that today’s society spends so much time worrying about things that are irrelevant to their own personal lives. The boy was not doing anything to harm others; he was simply having a friend. I think what everyone should be focusing on is not the boy, but the type of rules that are strictly enforced. Everyone should consider this.
Alex,
ReplyDeleteThank you for understanding that rules are rules!! Obviously no one wants to see an autistic boy feel lonely without his pig yet people don’t realize that situations happen all the time when a disabled child goes through a hard time. I like that you emphasized the fact that there is a legal weight that the animal has to pertain to. If his overweight pig is taken from him, then why doesn’t someone get him something that is legal to become his “new” best friend? I don’t want this young boy to suffer due to a rule that stands, but I also don’t want to open a new doorway for others to feel like they deserve the same treatment. Regardless it is just an awful situation! I agree with you Alex 100 % that Anthony was just in one of those situations that happened at the wrong time and wrong place! Everyone knows that that pig wasn’t doing any harm to others!! I hope the boy could find a new friend that makes him happy.
Let me begin by saying if someone, being the government took my best friend away from me, I would do everything within my power to get her back. In the case of Anthony and his pet Loopey, I think that the city must re-examine the ordinance in which they have placed. After reading the article I did not see anything that specifically outlined the ordinance. From what I understood the city council and officials fear the lifting of the ordinance because it would allow for other “out of the ordinary” pets to appear within the city limits. But what kind of animals does the ordinance include as city approved? The article states that there had been one complaint, but people complain even about animals like cats and dogs all the time. However, I do not agree with the bending of the rules in the case, since it will bring about other cases to bend the rules. In my opinion, the bending of the rules would then make things like compassionate release justifiable. As for the case at hand, the best way to handle it is to re-examine the ordinance and figure out the true purpose behind it. I feel sorry for Anthony for losing his friend, and for the family for their struggle, but until the law gets changed, it has to be accepted. I think an important think to remember is that we don’t want government officials making decisions based off of emotions or instincts. The law is the law, unless it’s changed. But I really do feel sorry for Anthony.
ReplyDeleteI want to start off by saying that I totally sympathize with the boy’s condition. Having to live with a brain development disorder would be a tough situation for anyone. I can understand why Anthony would have a one-sided friendship like that and how it must have been. Children Anthony’s age, eight-years-old, are generally by far much less compassionate than older children and adults. However, when it comes to rules such as the one that stated that Anthony could not have the pet pig, I believe that they are not meant to be broken. If Anthony got away with that rule, what other rules would he be allowed to bend and break? Due to his autism, does it give him a right to do whatever he wants or have whatever he desires, even if it’s against the law? I feel like the journalist who wrote the story was also using Anthony’s autism as a scapegoat, which is even worse. So, even though I completely understand why someone would say that the situation was unfair or uncalled for, I’m trying to look at both sides of the predicament and judge them both fairly. On the one hand, I feel sorry for Anthony and I empathize with his situation and realize he probably does not have many friends and/or it’s hard for him to maintain any relationships and friendships he may develop. What I don’t understand is why he doesn’t just get a common household pet? I grew up with one of my best friends being my dog, Shanda. I can understand how Anthony would want a pet as someone to talk to and confide in but I stand by my opinion that the rules shouldn’t be broken in anyone’s case.
ReplyDeleteI feel like we all feel the same way about this whole situation with Anthony and his pig! Jordan, I agree with Alex’s comment and also like what you said about the fact that the community was focusing so much energy on this trivial thing. If someone had their dog or cat taken away, I’m sure it wouldn’t have been such a big fuss as this was made into. The fact that people focus on such small events shows a lot of insight into human nature. I feel like the news programs on television or in the papers are just filled with gossip when they focus on stories like this. I can understand that the story is unusual because of the combination of the pig and the autistic boy, but things like this I feel are nobody’s business but their own. Alex, I like how you mentioned the limit. I’ve actually heard about miniature potbelly pigs, I believe. They are generally the size of a small dog and people are starting to have them as pets, even in New York City! I have also heard, however, that they are a couple of thousand dollars so they are less accessible to an average working-class family than other pets would be. I find this whole situation to be a one-time thing so once this case is all figured out, I doubt another autistic boy or girl will come forward with a pet pig. I really do feel sorry for this young boy so I hope I don’t come off as being completely mean!
ReplyDeleteI forgot to put Jordan and Alex at the top of that last comment! haha
ReplyDeleteIn this situation, I strongly believe that Anthony should have the right to keep his pig as a pet. I understand why the town would have a law against 80 lb pigs living in someone's home but is the pig really doing any harm? Loopey is only keeping an autistic boy happy and has given him a best friend. I wouldn't want my best friend taken away from me, especially just for his size or how "different" he may be. It would be a different situation if Loopey was causing disruption in the city, or maybe if he tried to attack the mailman or something. And may I point out that dogs are much more aggressive animals than pigs, but there is no law against them living in homes as pets. In fact they are the most common household pets. So who can complain about Anthony's best friend... who happens to be a pig? Loopey may be large (and maybe a little messy), but most importantly, he is a gentle animal.
ReplyDeleteI do agree that once you make one exception it gets harder and harder to say no to other cases, but in this case, I believe that Anthony's happiness should be valued higher than the law. This is a legitimate exception. If Anthony were to testify in a court case concerning this issue, I’d be surprised if all members of the jury didn’t end up taking his side. It just wouldn’t be ethical to take away his best friend.
Jordan,
ReplyDeleteYou make a really good point about rules being broken all the time. In the case of Anthony, it is beyond the point of keeping it hush. I am sure that the parent’s wish that whoever did complain about the situation would at least offer an explanation as to what the problem was so that it could be addressed in proper manner. If the complainer would have brought this to the attention of the family, then we would not be having this conversation. But they didn’t. The hush rule has its ups and downs, because it goes back to idea of when to draw the line. But who hasn’t broken a rule or law? I agree that the rules are set to keep order, which is needed in our world, but maybe this rule isn’t needed. Depending on the outcome, this could make the lives of other parents dealing with the same issue easier.
When I first read the ABC News article on Anthony and his pet pig, I thought of two different possible outlooks on the situation: One, it could be like a patient with paranoia needing to take his/her anxiety medicine, or two, it could be like a drug addict craving heroin. I lean more towards it being similar to the patient/anxiety medicine situation. Anthony is a young autistic boy, who had trouble understanding the world and therefore; looks towards this pig as a sort of comfort. This comfort obviously has great effect on Anthony if it causes him to stop wetting the bed. There are certain pills that one may take if they have problems wetting the bed, so in a way, this pig is Anthony’s medicine, as his parents also clearly stated in the ABC News article. The problem only arises when it comes down to the laws on certain prohibited animal breeds being kept as pets. Well here’s a question…Are patients prescribed marijuana by their doctors to treat specific conditions even though the use of marijuana is illegal for all others? The answer is yes. So here is question number two…if it is acceptable for marijuana, which is hazardous to the health, to be used as a medicine, then why not allow this pig, which is harmless, to be Anthony’s medicine? When you think about the situation theoretically, it makes no sense at all. Autistic studies even show that the relationship between an autistic child and an animal may reduce autistic effects.
ReplyDeleteMorgan…
ReplyDeleteI completely agree with you 100 percent. Anthony’s happiness, in my opinion as well, should be valued above the law at this point. The pig is no harm whatsoever to society. Your point about a dog being more of a threat to society than a pig, you are absolutely correct. I mean, when was the last time you heard about an aggressive pig attacking a child’s face? This was the case of a dog, not a harmless pig. I really like this idea and it makes a strong point. There is not much a jury could debate on when given this example. As you talked about earlier in your blog, I could not imagine losing my best friend either. Due to his condition, Anthony cannot grasp why his pig has been taken away and this leaves him confused and alone in the so called “normal” society around him where he feels everyone is passing judgment. This pig was his only true friend, and the government took the only thing near and dear to him away.
I wish not to offend anyone who disagrees with me on this, but Anthony’s pig should never have even been bought. Pigs are huge, smelly animals. Sure, they have been depicted as loving (Charlotte’s Web) and usually are drawn as pink, swirly tailed mammals, but they carry germs and are extremely loud. I’m sure we all have heard of swine flu, but what you may not know is that it’s a global virus that can be transmitted from pig to pig and has been doing so for many years. It was just this year that the H1N1 virus began to affect human beings and, as it turns out, Anthony’s case was also heard this year. I am sure that the notion of Loopy infecting this family and others was high on the list of problems for the city council. Now, noise complaints are typical for pigs as they are very loud when eating and going about their daily business. My mother worked at a pig farm when she was in her 20s and now describes pigs as the “grossest things on Earth.” They also smell horrible. The neighbors of Anthony’s family surely did not enjoy the smell of Loopy next door. In this case, Anthony should receive no special treatment for his pig, Loopy, regardless of his state of health. If other children like Anthony suffer from autism and want to create a close bond to an animal then they should not chose a pig in the future. Clearly, another type of pet would have been fine for this case such as a dog or gerbil, but a pig is simply too complicated to keep. The council was right in not granting any special tratement. Case closed.
ReplyDeleteAlthough the story is very heartbreaking and it was a difficult decision to make, I believe that the rules should not be bent. A pot bellied pig should not be allowed to reside in a community. It is a farm animal and that is exactly where it belongs. I understand that the pig had helped Anthony deal with certain social issues, but there are other ways of going about the situation. Autism is a common condition and many children suffer the difficulties of dealing with it. However, their families have found various ways to cope with the hardships without breaking the law. To some, it might seem as though it was a harmless thing to bring a pig into a neighborhood. If you think about the case itself, then yes, it was completely harmless. Nonetheless, if you bend the rules for just one person, then others will expect the rules to be bent for them also. It is unfair to judge the situation on a case by case basis because the individuals who decide the outcome will not be the same every time and the whole thing will be completely biased. Also, city officials were simply doing their job by not allowing the pig stay in their home. I think it is unethical for the family to post this all over the media to make it seem as though the officials are doing something wrong. It is the law and should be enforced equally. It shouldn’t be forgotten because their child suffers from autism or for any other special cases.
ReplyDeleteLaura,
ReplyDeleteI completely agree with what you said. I don’t think the pig should have been allowed to be kept in their home. If a law was created against having them in residential areas, then I’m sure it was for a perfectly good reason. I’m glad you mentioned all of the bad things associated with having a pig as a pet. They are definitely not meant as house pets, and the neighbors probably hated the animal. There are plenty of animals that could help Anthony, and all they have to do is find the right one that will. They mentioned that they have a cat and a dog, but the child is scared of the dog. Well, then they should maybe look for a different type of dog. Or as you said, a gerbil could also help. The point is, Anthony’s suffering eventually leads back to his parents’ irrational decision to obtain the pig without caring whether or not it was legal to have.
Catalina,
ReplyDeleteThanks for seeing my side of this arguement. As you said, there are alternatives to farm animals for helping autistic children. Some of the other ways autistic children can be stabilized is through special care by the family or physicians and gradual exposure to change. However, if relationships with animals truly help with autism then I am sure smaller animals can provide the same kind of love and friendship that big, smelly ones can. I hadn’t thought about how biased the case by case rule is in this story. Different council members believe different things and another set of people on the panel could have very well ruled it acceptable that Anthony keep his pig. In a way, this story is not about a pig living in a town but rather an exploitation of a boy’s genetic mutation. The pig did instigate the case but, rather, the family’s outrage over not bending the rules is the true reason that this story has gone as far as a college blog’s discussion board.
Ok, I think Anthony should be allowed to keep his pig. I don’t see what the big deal is anyways. It’s his pet. I mean in a way I understand since some places don’t allow pets but if you have one you just don’t live at that place. But anyways what is so bad about having a big. People have monkeys and tigers as pets and its legal, why not pigs. The law should be changed so that people with other different kind of pets can have them as long as they do some special type of documentation for it. Anthony and Loopey might be the start of change but it is not right to deny some one of their companion when other people have pets. Who is to say that pigs aren’t pets? Also if Anthony and his family were taking good care of it and not letting it roam the streets, I don’t see the problem in him keeping it. But government sometimes makes a big deal out of little things. And this little 80 pound pig named Looney is just a little thing. Also, the family has had the pig for a year and now the government wants the big to go away. That makes no sense, and Anthony is autistic, and it is show that they deal with people differently than “normal” people. So for the government to take this pig that he has grown accustomed to away seems just wrong to me. Loopey should be able to stay!
ReplyDelete-Jennifer McQ
Laura,
ReplyDeleteYou do bring up a good point on this case. Pigs are disgusting and I wouldn’t ever want a pig as a pet. But it didn’t seem like a problem for the family. They have the pig for over a year. I think that if the family had a pig deal with the noise and smell that would have gotten rid of it instantly. I know I would have. But I also see that maybe the family noticed how much the pig improved Anthony’s behavior. Maybe it isn’t right, but that is what made him happy and his condition better. Also, if it was such a disturbance I would have thought they had a lot more complaints from their neighbors, so I don’t think the noise was a problem either. But even though they didn’t give him an exception I still don’t think it is right. But life isn’t fair sometimes, but I agree with your argument though.
-Jennifer McQ
Personally, I think if anyone’s best friend was taken from him or her under any circumstance they would be devastated because I know I would. When someone becomes comfortable with another, there is a special bond they share. Without reading about the situation I would think that no animal, such as a pig, should live within city limits. But, I agree with Keith Bates when he said that Anthony’s situation along with others should be determined on a case-by-case basis. Anthony should be able to keep Loopey as a friend. His case of Autism, with troubles of those that Anthony experienced was better when he was able to go home to Loopey and be friends. A friend that does not say mean things and is always there when you want to hang out or talk to is something that everyone wants and should have no matter the situation. Anthony is not like one of the normal kids and has some troubles with socializing and making friends, he did not choose to be born with a disability and I do not think the government should penalize him on the one friend that he does have. I have a cousin who suffers from the same condition as Anthony, Autism, and he has problems communicating with own his family I cannot even imagine how hard it is for him when he has to go to school and deal with all the cruel kids in the sixth grade. I feel for Anthony and I think that Loopey should be able to return to his home.
ReplyDeleteLaura,
ReplyDeleteI see where you are coming from when you say that pigs are smelly but to a child suffering from such a condition, as Anthony is, I believe he should definitely have some special treatment. Of course his neighbors would not like the smell or the noise, but I am sure to an extent they feel some kind of sympathy towards Anthony’s condition. Another thing I agree with that you said was that the pig should have never been bought in the first place. If the pig were not bought, then Anthony would never have been able to get close with it or even have feelings of friendship with the pig. I am sure he could have found a different way or person to become close too, maybe his mother. Personally, I think Swine Flu is just the same as any other flu around, so that should not play a great factor in determining whether or not Anthony should be able to keep Loopy. Although I disagree with your point of view, I think it was hard for you to share your true feelings on such a touchy subject about a child with Autism.
Chelsea,
ReplyDeleteI really like your idea. I have worked with autistic children as well and you’re right, they just need to talk to someone and have someone who can relate to what they are saying listen. That is not just important for autistic children, but for everyone. I definitely agree with you when you say there should be some kind of law that would allow Anthony to keep his pig, Loopey. Taking Loopey away from Anthony will probably only cause him to revert back to the way he was before he had his pet. This will negate all the progress he had made. I’m no pit bull hater but what you said it completely true. Before swine flu, did pit bulls present the same amount of danger as a pig? I really don’t think so. Do they tell people they can’t have pit bulls? Of course not. So what’s the problem with having a pig as a pet?
-unjani