Search
Advertisement

Extra Special Pets & Animals

Dog Missing For 2 Weeks, Found More
| Digg | Facebook | E-mail | Print
Jun 14, 2008 12:13 pm US/Central

SE Minn. Pig-Sitter Disputes Animal Cruelty Charge

WINONA, Minn. (AP) ― A pig-sitter in southeastern Minnesota is fighting charges that she allowed a potbellied pig's weight to balloon last year.

Mary Josephine Beesecker faces a misdemeanor animal cruelty charge. She and her attorney appeared in court Friday.

The pig, named Alaina Templeton, gained international attention last fall with stories about her weight gain. Her owner, Michelle Schmitz, hired Beesecker to look after the 50-pound pet while she underwent ankle surgery.

Schmitz contends she later found Alaina had gained 100 pounds on Beesecker's farm. Alaina's neck grew around her collar, which needed to be surgically removed by a veterinarian.

Beesecker's attorney says Beesecker and her husband often checked the pig's elastic collar -- and would have done something if they had known the collar would eventually get embedded in the pig's jowls.

Briefs in the case are due by July 7.

(© 2008 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)

From Our Partners

Pets & Animals

Top News Stories

Advertisement

© MMVIII, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.