Westlake Village couple fights to keep potbellied pet pig

WESTLAKE VILLAGE, LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- He's mastered the tricks of a well-trained puppy, but 7-month old Chuy is a mini potbellied pig.

Marcela Iglesias and her husband, Steve, bought Chuy from a breeder. He's lived in their Westlake Village home since he was just a couple of weeks old. But recently a county official told Marcela she had 30 days to get rid of Chuy.

"There's no way I'm gonna get rid of Chuy or put Chuy in a shelter because he's like my son, he's my baby," Marcella said.

Chuy has his own Facebook page and has become a neighborhood celebrity. Marcela says he's very clean, house-trained and not aggressive.

The animal control officer told the couple Chuy had to go because a city ordinance classifies miniature pigs as livestock.

"Potbellied pigs are different because potbellied pigs were introduced to America after those codes and regulations were implemented, so we're trying to change those codes," Marcela said.

Steve says potbellied pigs are "really smart, really friendly, good animals, good pets."

Marcella appealed to the Westlake Village City Council and got some encouraging news.

"They already called animal control to put a stop on the situation until we come to a resolution and maybe we can be able to review the codes and change the livestock to domestic pets," Marcela said.