A new visitor has arrived at a New York City dog park, and while it may be as cute as a dog, it’s definitely not a dog.
As the New York Post reports, someone brought their service pig to a dog run in the Bushwick neighborhood of Brooklyn. Footage of the pig shows it running off-leash and playing with the actual dogs.
“I bring my dog to this dog park pretty often – I’ve never heard of a pig being here,” says resident Jordan Miller. “But honestly, this is Bushwick: so it’s not the weirdest thing I’ve ever heard.”
While the idea of a pig in the dog park may be fine with Bushwick dog parents, John Di Leonardo of the animal advocacy organization Humane Long Island advises against it.
“Pigs are prey animals and dogs are predators,” Di Leonardo tells The Post. “Letting a piglet run off leash at a dog park surrounded by potential predators not only puts the piglet at risk, but it’s illegal.”
Indeed, the NYC Department of Health confirms, “In NYC, pigs are prohibited to be kept as pets.”