Lyndhurst’s Hammy the pig gets experienced advocate on his side as owner amasses thousands of dollars more in bylaw fines

The battle continues in the Village of Lyndhurst to bring Hammy the pig home to his owner, Greg Rajewski.

Last week, Brockvilleist told readers about Hammy, who had to be removed from his home and beloved owner, Greg, due to bylaw enforcement at the Township of Leeds and the Thousand Islands. He also received an initial $1,750 fine for keeping livestock in his residential home, according to the Township’s interpretation of the bylaw.

Since then, Rajewski, who is disabled and living on disability, learned he has been issued many thousands of dollars more in fines, according to letters from the Township viewed by Brockvilleist. Some of the fines relate to keeping a pig, and others are for completely unrelated matters pertaining to items in Rajewski’s yard. On a more positive note, he has amassed well over 1,000 signatures on a petition urging the Township to allow Hammy to come home, and a GoFundMe to has also been started to assist with costs, which has so far raised $690.

Rajewski now also has an experienced potbelly pig advocate on his side. Judy Osborne of Kingston is a long-time keeper of the animals, and has been an advocate for potbelly pigs for decades, winning cases from Toronto to Ottawa to help pigs stay at home with their humans.

Next week, she’s heading to Lyndhurst to have a conversation with authorities at the Township of Leeds and the Thousand Islands.

“I’m going to try to let them know, from my pigs’ files from years ago, just how far this thing can go,” Osborne told Brockvilleist. “This can get totally crazy. I want them to know that we’re not going to go away. The pig has to go home to Greg because number one, he is a service animal, and you can’t remove a service animal from his home. And then the other thing is, he was fined under the bylaw that dictates livestock. Well, potbelly pigs aren’t livestock.”

(Leeds and Thousand Islands Township’s Acting CAO Marnie Venditti and bylaw officer Nicole Shorts argue that potbelly pigs are, in fact, considered livestock. To quote the zoning bylaw, land zoned for agricultural use is defined in part as “the raising, boarding, keeping and sale of all forms of livestock, including all related activities such as breeding, raising, training, feeding and grazing, and including the breeding and raising of poultry, bees or fish. This definition shall not include dogs or exotic animals.” Pigs are not specifically referenced in this section.)

Osborne’s main concern is for Hammy’s well being.

“He’s not eating properly, and he’s pining because he’s not with his owner,” she said. “You cannot move 10-year-old potbellies without a lot of side effects on them. Now we’ve got an animal cruelty case going, but we’re trying to get this stopped before all this foolishness has to go in that direction.”

Rajewski says he feels “relieved” to have Osborne advocating for him.

“There’s a reason people come into your life,” he told Brockvilleist. “She’s an 82-year-old woman and she’s pretty amazing. She’s got a lot of spunk in her. It just made me feel like there’s somebody on my side helping.”

In respect to the $7,400 in bylaw fines, Rajewski noted “I’m upset, and I don’t understand how they can do what they’re doing. It feels like they’re just picking on me.”

For now, though, his main concern is getting Hammy home.

“That’s the first thing that I want to get done, because really, it’s turned my world upside down.”

When asked if it’s common for someone to receive many thousands of dollars in bylaw fines in Leeds and the Thousand Islands, Venditti and Shorts both said they could not comment.

“I can’t speak to you about anything specific as it relates to any enforcement scenario out of privacy and respect for the property owner,” Venditti said. “Anybody issued a ticket has the option to appeal that ticket and contact the township and go through a process. So that is about all I can tell you.”

When asked about possible exceptions for emotional support animals, Venditti said “I can’t provide any comment whatsoever with respect to any of that.”

Brockvilleist will continue to follow this story, and provide updates as they are made available.