Family wins fight to keep emotional support pig

The Gil family from Chandler, Arizona, have been told that their son Julian's therapy pig Maggie will be allowed to remain in their home. Their attorney said they are ecstatic. The decision came after months of back and forth.



Maggie is a pot-bellied pig. In August, the city notified the Gils that they were in violation of city code because pigs are not allowed in residential neighbourhoods. A neighbour had filed a complaint. The family argued Maggie is not livestock; she's an emotional support animal.



Their 9-year-old son Julian has Asperger's syndrome, and Maggie, they say, has been instrumental in his progress. "When I'm sad she goes near me and makes me happy," Julian said last month. With the help of attorney John Schill, the family filed a reasonable accommodation request under the Fair Housing Amendment Act.



On Thursday that request was approved, meaning Maggie can stay. "It was very good news to say, 'Hey, we won. Maggie gets to stay with Julian,' because there was a point in time when they first contacted me that I didn't know if we could win this case. I didn't know if Maggie was going to be able to stay with Julian," Schill said. Now, that angst and uncertainty has been put to rest for all involved.

With news video.