A Port Orchard family says they are calling for more safety measures after their pet pig was allegedly killed by a butcher who gave them the wrong address.
KIRO 7 News spoke with Natalie and Nathan Gray, Patty and Betty’s owners.
Natalie said she bought a pig from a local breeder in 2022 to expand her family and now has a cat, dog, ducks and chickens.
“They were cute. They were so cute. They were the size of tiny little dogs,” Natalie said. “We had never had them before. I wanted my daughters to have a pig too because I heard that by not eating meat, pigs are just like dogs and a lot of fun to own. ”
She added that the Grays took great care of their beloved pet pig and celebrated special occasions together, including birthdays.
“I go out every morning, play with them, make sure they’re getting the attention they need, feed them, give them fresh water, give them a bath before they go to school. We confirmed that it was full of water,” she shared.
But on Wednesday, May 1, their hearts were broken, they told KIRO 7 News.
“Both Patty and Betty were lying in big pools of blood, messed up. One of them was shackled to her,” Nathan said.
A Kitsap County family is furious after claiming their pet pig was killed because a butcher gave them the wrong address. The changes they are fighting to ensure other families don’t have to bury their beloved pets under these circumstances. @kiro7seattle At 5 p.m. pic.twitter.com/0DC1YIgJnw
— Louis Tran (@louie_tran) May 10, 2024
Nathan told KIRO 7 News he was away from his home for about 20 minutes Wednesday afternoon after leaving the front gate open.
He then received an alert on his cell phone that someone had come onto his property.
Nathan and his wife rushed home after asking one of the employees to search their home.
The Grays told KIRO 7 News they found a white box truck parked on the property and their pigs shot to death inside the pigpen.
An employee at a local butcher shop had given the wrong address.
“How can you be so lazy to be in the wrong place?” Natalie said, “They (the pigs) weren’t supposed to die like that. They were supposed to die of old age.”
“How could you take away something so dear to my heart and my daughter’s? Were you in a hurry? Were you not careful?” Natalie asked.
Nathan and Natalie said no one was home and they received no phone calls before their pets were allegedly killed.
Their addresses also did not match the addresses the workers had on file, Nathan said.
“This (the address the worker had on record) is not this address. Our address is in the mailbox, at the gate, at home,” he told KIRO 7 News.
Natalie said the workers not only took away her loved ones, but also her sense of safety.
“You get anxious when your home is no longer a safe place,” she says. “There’s some anxiety here and it’s not easy.”
“Now my youngest, she doesn’t want it (the new animal). She said, ‘What if someone comes?’ We don’t want what happened to Patti and Betty to happen. ”
KIRO 7 News announced that the Grays filed a report with the Kitsap County Sheriff’s Office and received a report number.
We reached out to the Kitsap County Sheriff’s Office to learn more about the investigation. We look forward to hearing from you again.
The Grays buried their two beloved pets in their backyard, near the gravestones their daughters had made.
change point:
The Grays told KIRO 7 News they are asking for safer procedures when it comes to slaughtering animals on private property.
Mr Nathan said the incident could have been prevented if workers had taken strict safety precautions.
“I was even more upset when they said their boss told them they were going to a house with no one home. That seems to be the rule for this kind of thing,” he said. .
Mr Nathan said he was also concerned for the safety of others after a family’s beloved pet was allegedly killed in broad daylight near a neighbour’s home.
“Patty and Betty were shot 16 feet from the neighbor’s fence,” he said. “Her garden is right over there. Is that protocol?
Nathan’s family has confirmed that the property owner is home, that the animals are marked, and that there is a signed paper document outlining the agreement between the property owner and the company. He said he would like to see additional safety procedures for workers who plan to slaughter the animals, including making sure they are safe.
“If you’re going to bring a firearm onto someone’s property, that person should be at home,” Nathan said.
“We need better protection for people like me and my family. So that this never happens again. Someone needs to be in the house. No one can come into the house and take animals when no one is there. We need to check the box, not kill,” Natalie said.
The Grays told KIRO 7 News they have hired an attorney but have no details about their future plans.
We reached out to their attorney, Adam Karp, who provided the following statement:
“I represent the Gray family. By law, Betty and Patty are treated no differently than a Golden Retriever or a Norwegian Forest Cat, except that pigs are defined as ‘livestock’ under certain laws.” . Intentionally causing physical injury to an animal without legal justification is a felony under RCW 16.52.205(1). He also has a civil cause of action for livestock theft under RCW 4.24.320, which awards him treble punitive damages and attorney’s fees. The elements of a felony of animal cruelty under RCW 16.52.205 provide a basis for filing an action under the Livestock Theft Civil Code when the affected animal is a livestock animal. In Thorley v. Nowlin, a recent appeal that I won out of Yakima, this law provides for emotional distress damages (3x ) was ruled to allow recovery.
I think it is important to observe that there are no relevant differences between pigs and dogs or cats. With time, skill, desire, and respect for the sanctity of life, we can develop intimate relationships with all mammals. The same goes for Gray. I have been tasked with pursuing criminal, civil, and regulatory avenues to pursue justice for Betty and Patty and to ensure that horrors like this never happen again. ”
KIRO 7 News also reached out to the Washington State Department of Agriculture regarding the alleged incident.
A spokesperson said the agency does not respond to such incidents, adding that it has not received any complaint reports regarding the alleged incidents.
“Almost all meat processing facilities are regulated by the USDA (WSDA, not federal vs. state). However, some operations may be exempt from federal jurisdiction. That’s where we step in.
The WSDA Food Safety Program licenses and inspects three types of custom meat operations: custom meat facilities, custom slaughter facilities, and custom farm slaughterers. The company you mentioned is a licensed custom meat facility and custom farm slaughterer.
RCW 16.49 authorizes our agents to license and inspect these custom meat facilities.
It should also be noted that USDA has the authority to revoke an exemption if a company violates the terms of the exemption. Our custom facility inspections typically examine equipment, facility suitability, and sanitation practices. There are also some minor labeling and recordkeeping requirements. Most of these are listed in Chapters 16 through 19 of the WAC referenced above.
