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Local News

August 9, 2012

Officer captures 1 of 2 pigs loose in Oneonta

One of two pigs reported Sunday to be on the loose in Oneonta has been caught.

The Oneonta Police Department is on the lookout for the other, Chief Dennis Nayor said Wednesday.

Callers reported the pigs were seen behind Mirabito's on Carbon Street.

Tim Cuozzo, parking enforcement and animal control officer, set a Havahart trap in that area, Nayor said, and Tuesday afternoon, one pot-bellied pig had been caught with the "secret lure" of cat food.

Under municipal code, harboring pigs in the city is illegal, Nayor said, and keeping domesticated pigs would be an issue.

In any case, swine aren't allowed to run loose in the city, he said.

Nayor said police are more accustomed to catching dogs, which also aren't allowed to run loose.

The captured pig has been turned over to veterinarian Joan Puritz and her Oneonta Veterinary Hospital at 525-29 Main St.

"I'm very happy about the police caring enough to get the pig off the road," Puritz said Wednesday. The black pig weighs about 20 pounds and was frightened and squealing when she took it out of the cage, she said.

Generally, pot-bellied pigs are good animals and can be trained and housebroken, Puritz said. She is seeking homes for the pig and for a goat that someone rescued last week from the roadway, she said.

And Tuesday night, someone anonymously dropped off a cage in the parking lot with five cats of various ages and sizes, she said. The cats also need homes.

"It never rains," Puritz said. "It pours."

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