Owners found for stray Minot pigs

MINOT — Town Administrator Gregory E. Gill informed selectmen at their December 20 meeting that the owners of two stray 100-pound pigs, found wandering West Minot Road on the day after Thanksgiving, have been located.  One of the animals has since been returned to its owners.  However, Gill reported that the other pig died while under the town’s care.

Minot’s Animal Control Officer (ACO) Robert Larrabee responded to a call about the wayward swines when local residents inquired about the oddity, noting that the pigs were getting into local yards.  Larrabee picked up the animals approximately one half-mile from the Village Trading Post.

When Gill first advised selectmen of the capture, he had reported the pigs to be “in good health.”   

But at the most recent public meeting, Gill acknowledged that, while one of the pigs had remained robust, the other one had taken a turn of the worse.

“It just died,” Gill announced.

“It had purple spots all over its stomach,” Gill clarified of the ailing pig’s symptoms, although no official cause of death was known.  “It was separated from the other remaining pig, by itself.”

The dead pig was buried by Auburn ACO, Bentley Rathburn, who had been housing the animals.  Rathburn was charging Minot for boarding of the pigs, but reportedly did not pass on a fee for the burial.

Gill declined to release the names of the West Minot Road couple identified as the owners of the remaining pig. 

However, Gill did inform selectmen that, after finding out who the owners were, Larrabee had paid repeated visits to their home.

“His opinion is that they were probably home several times,” said Gill.  “One of the other neighbors had to turn them in.” 

“He [Larrabee] went to their house several times and they promised to go pick the pig up,” said Gill.  “Finally the wife, basically, told him “We can’t really pick it up, my husband’s 100-percent disabled.”

It was then that Larrabee obligingly returned the animal to avoid continued charges to Minot for its care.

“How did the pigs get on the road by themselves?” asked

Gilpatrick

“He [Larrabee] directly asked them, ‘Are you missing two pigs?’” answered Gill, “and the woman said, ‘Yes, we thought the coyotes got them.’”

“We were actually lucky we found the owners,” said Gill, “because at that point, no one was interested in taking it because the one that died had purple spots all over its stomach.” 

Had the owner not been found, state Agriculture Department rules would have required Minot to keep the surviving pig, classified as livestock, for a minimum of two months.  Gill reported the boarding fee to have been $2 per day. The town would then have been allowed to follow a series of mandated requirements in preparation for a public auction to recoup a portion of these costs.

Gill also noted that Rathburn’s bill for the internment was charged to Minot, not to the owners of the pigs.

“The only way that the Auburn ACO would take it was if the pig was in our name.  So the bill is in the Town of Minot’s name,” he said.

Added to this bill were Larrabee’s expenses.

“We have a total pig bill of $309.85.” declared Gill.

“I think that Robert Larrabee does a damn fine job,” said selectman Steve French.  “He does a lot of stuff that he does not charge us for.”

Board chairman Dean Campbell inquired if the bill could be passed on to the owners of the pigs.

“I understand from Mr. Larrabee that they have no money to pay for the housing bill,” said Gill.

Dean then inquired if the town could attach a supplemental tax to the couple’s property tax bill.  But Gill advised that, beyond septic system repairs, town’s are no longer as free to use this device as in the past.

“We can put them on a payment plan, I would think, if they are willing” offered selectman Ralph Gilpatrick.  “You know, $5 or $10 a month.  Or they could drop off their bottle returns, something like that.”

It was not known, given that the town of Minot was responsible for the welfare of the pigs while in its care, if the owners might file any sort of counter claim for damages relating to the pig not returned to them.