‘Have a heart’: Village of Lyndhurst rallies to bring Hammy the pig home

A beloved local celebrity from the village of Lyndhurst was forced to be removed from his home last week due to a bylaw policy – and the community is rallying to get him back.

Hammy the pig has been a companion animal to Greg Rajewski for over 10 years, and he’s met lots of friends along the way.

“I live across from the park, so all the kids would come over to pet him,” Rajewski explains. 
“That’s how he got so popular. Everybody knows him. People come here on vacation from Toronto, Pennsylvania, they always come here because they know I have a pet pig. They always bring him their scraps from the campgrounds and stuff.”

Hammy is a registered emotional support animal for Greg, a designation that is valid through Nov. 30, 2028. The registration states that “Canadian laws protect people with mental disabilities from discrimination” and that in most cases, “landlords are expected to make exceptions to no pet rules and allow the pet to live with their owner.”

But Rajewski says that last week, he was issued a $1,750 fine for keeping Hammy, and was told the pig needed to be removed from the property.

“He led a good life here,” Rajewski said. “We found him and brought him home. We let him out of his pen, he slept in the house. He was always in the yard. He was just part of the community.”

The steep fine was also a blow, as the township is taking $375 per month from Rajewski’s bank account to pay it down.

“I’m on disability,” he says. “I don’t have money.”

Now, a petition has been started on change.org to bring Hammy home. As of noon on Aug. 10, it’s been signed by over 600 people.

“Hammy has touched the lives of many of us, and his recent removal has been deeply felt throughout our community,” states the petition, which was started by Brittany Mcdonell.

It explains that Hammy’s removal has caused “considerable distress” to Greg “and to all of us have grown fond of him. It seems that this action is both unfair and disproportionate, especially given the positive impact Hammy has had on our community.”

It concludes that the signatories “are asking the relevant authorities to reconsider their decision and allow Hammy to return to Lyndhurst. His presence here has been a positive force, and we believe that bringing him back will benefit our entire village.”

Marnie Venditti, acting CAO for Leeds and the Thousand Islands, commented on the matter on behalf of the township.

“I won’t speak to the particular situation but I will speak to what our zoning bylaw says,” she told Brockvilleist. “A residential property does not permit an agricultural use. A pig is not considered a domesticated animal, it’s considered livestock. Livestock is not permitted on a residential property.”

When asked what sort of recourse Rajewski could take, she said: “If someone wanted to pursue a modification to the zoning bylaw to allow a use on a property, that would be an application to the township that the council would need to consider modifying that policy.”

Rajewski says it would “mean the world” to him to have Hammy back.

“I just want the township to be fair and have a heart,” he says, noting that he feels like “[the township is] being vindictive towards me. You shouldn’t get to use your higher power to pick on somebody.”

Brockvilleist will continue to follow Hammy and Greg’s story, and provide updates as they are made available.