On a mild spring day, this mature Glen Abbey street is the picture of a suburban idyll. But as anyone with a neighbour conflict can attest, looks can be deceiving, and unexpected developments can sometimes destroy the peace.
When Carissa Sinclair, a mortgage specialist, moved into her Glen Abbey rental unit in November 2020, she knew her unconventional pet would raise some eyebrows. Still, she wasn’t prepared for the pitched battle that has characterized the last few months of settling into the new place. She says neighbours are glaring at her and her daughters whenever they're outside, and the whole situation has become very uncomfortable.
With house prices and rental rates going through the roof, Sinclair counted herself lucky to find a landlord who would accept the family’s unusual choice in a pet: Charlie, their nine-year-old Vietnamese pot-bellied pig.
Carissa Sinclair
Charlie, the pig, and Prada, the dog, live in Glen Abbey
Carissa Sinclair's pet pig is attracting a lot of unwelcomed attention from their new neighbours.
The landlord’s only request was that Sinclair let the immediate neighbours know she was about to move in with Charlie, a pet her family physician had signed off on as a therapeutic animal that helps her manage her anxiety. Sinclair says she did knock on the neighbours' doors, and when she moved in, relations were initially cordial.
“I’ve had Charlie since 2012 when he was four months old,” Sinclair explains. “You hear about these mini pigs, and unfortunately, you don’t realize how big they can get. When I spoke to the breeder, she said it was a mini pig. Unfortunately, Charlie grew and grew, and he is now just under 300 pounds. But he’s part of our family now, and we are all he knows."
Despite his heft, Sinclair insists Charlie is a wonderful well-behaved pet, litter-trained, and quieter than your average suburban dog.
"I did live in another residence in Oakville where all the neighbours loved him. Anybody that meets him loves him.”
Unfortunately for Sinclair, her new neighbours were not as tolerant of Charlie as the old ones were.
Next door neighbour Iwona Bajor says living next to a pig pen is not what she signed up for when she and her husband bought their home eight years ago. “We saw the pig when they first moved in,” Bajor says. “But because it was getting cold, it wasn’t really affecting our lives. But in the spring, with the warmer weather, it was the first thing we noticed -- the urine smell, it's very distinct. Some days, depending on which way the wind comes, if it’s warmer, you can’t even sit in our backyard without smelling it.”
She says she used to enjoy eating meals on her covered porch, but now she can't. Bajor says she has not spoken to Sinclair about the issue because she doesn’t see the point. “The only satisfactory outcome I see is relocating the pig to a location that is more appropriate for a farm animal and where it will not have a negative impact on neighbouring residents.”
Bajor says she can't believe that because someone who has probably never laid eyes on Charlie signed a piece of paper, the pig gets to stay.
On Sinclair's other side, neighbour Paul McIvor is similarly incredulous. In an emailed statement, he argues, “this circumstance really shows that the town’s bylaws are toothless and that there is absolutely no will on the part of the town or elected officials to enforce them as written. In essence, any Oakville resident is now free to keep any animal – from a hippopotamus to a coop full of chickens, as long as you have a doctor’s note.”
Seven doors down, neighbour Joey and Diana Bolic echo McIvor and Bajor's concerns. In an emailed statement, Bolic says he has written to Mayor Rob Burton, MP Anita Anand, Regional Chair Gary Carr, the Region of Halton, Ward 4 Town Councillor Peter Longo, Ward 4 Regional Councillor Allan Elgar, and MPP Stephen Crawford, all to no avail.
Although Sinclair's detractors fear their concerns were ignored, in fact, the complaints did trigger seven inspections on Sinclair’s yard in the less than six months since she moved in: five from the Oakville and Milton Humane Society, one from Oakville bylaw, and most recently a visit by the Ontario Solicitor General’s animal welfare inspector.
According to Sinclair, odours and animal neglect complaints have been spurious. She says at each surprise visit, OMHS officers literally sniffed around the inside of Charlie's house, noting no excessive odour. In an emailed statement, John Bugailiskis, an OMHS spokesperson confirmed: “the case is closed, and OMHS is no longer involved.”
As for the town, Jim Barry, Director of Municipal Services, wrote, “in general, pigs are prohibited animals and not permitted. There are exceptions to this in section 14 of the animal control by-law 2018-006. If one of those exceptions were applicable, the animal would be considered in compliance.”
Advice from the Ontario’s Solicitor General’s office was that Sinclair should possibly be using a certain ointment for Charlie's sensitive skin and make sure to trim his hooves. Sinclair says she will be getting the vet out to check on Charlie before her May 13 deadline to send photos of Charlie's improved skin and hoof condition to the inspector.
Sinclair says the only issue that came up from the bylaw visit was the placement of Charlie’s plywood house, which was built in line with the landlord’s existing shed -- a foot too close to the fence. When Sinclair pointed out that her neighbour’s shed also appeared to be less than two feet from the property line, the bylaw officer ordered both of them to shift their outbuildings into their yards by a foot. Sinclair said she would be hiring a contractor shortly to abide by that order, but she hopes this will be the last of it.
Sinclair says all the inspections are starting to get a bit much, and Charlie, who doesn't like lots of disturbances from unfamiliar humans, is similarly not impressed. “It’s getting ridiculous," Sinclair says. "We’re quiet, we keep to ourselves, and Charlie doesn't bother anyone. I pick up his droppings every day. My yard does not reek. This pig has a shingled roof. He has an area rug in his house, and he sleeps on blankets. If he were not well taken care of, they would remove him from me, and that hasn’t happened.”
Although the jury is still out on the therapeutic value of pets for the mental health of their owners, for now, it appears disgruntled neighbours may have exhausted all regulatory avenues to dislodge Charlie.
Whether Charlie the therapy pig represents a legitimate bylaw exemption, a 300-lb loophole in the legislation, or both, remains up for interpretation. For her part, Sinclair says she’s certain Charlie is not the only one of his kind in Oakville. “To be honest, there’s a lot more pot-bellied pigs than you know.”
Do you know of any unusual therapy animals being kept in Oakville? Have you found yourself to be the unwitting neighbour to a therapy chicken? Please drop us a line.
