Port Orchard family says pet pigs were slaughtered after butcher got wrong address

A Port Orchard family says they are asking for more safety protocols after their pet pigs were allegedly slaughtered after a butcher shop got the wrong address.

KIRO 7 News spoke with Natalie and Nathan Gray, Patty and Betty’s owners.

Natalie said they purchased the pigs in 2022 from a local breeder to expand their family, which now includes cats, dogs, ducks and a chicken.

“They were adorable. They were so cute. They were the size of a puppy,” Natalie said. “We haven’t had them before. Not eating meat, I heard they were like dogs and really fun to have, and I wanted my girls to have pigs.”

The Grays treated their beloved pet pigs with care, she added, celebrating special occasions with them, including their birthdays.

“I would go out every morning and be with them and make sure they got the attention they needed before they went to school and feed them, give them fresh water, make sure the bath was full,” he shared. she.

But on Wednesday, May 1, their hearts were broken, they told KIRO 7 News.

“Both Patty and Betty were lying in a big pool of blood and a mess, and one of them was handcuffed,” Nathan said.

Nathan told KIRO 7 News he was out of the house for about 20 minutes Wednesday afternoon after leaving the front gate open.

He later received an alert on his phone that someone was on his property.

Nathan and his wife rushed home after he asked one of his employees to take a look at his house, he said.

The Grays found a white truck parked on their property and their beloved pigs shot to death in their pigsty, they told KIRO 7 News.

Workers at a local butcher shop got the address wrong, they said.

“How could you be so negligent for being in the wrong place?” Natalie said: “They (pigs) were never meant to die like this. They should die of old age.”

“How could you take something that was so dear to me and my daughter’s heart? Were you in a hurry? Weren’t you paying attention? Natalia asked.

Nathan and Natalie said no one was home and they had not received any phone calls before their pets were allegedly killed.

Their address also didn’t match the address the workers had on file, Nathan said.

“This (address the workers had on file) is not this address. Our address is in our mailbox, on our gate, in our house,” he told KIRO 7 News.

Natalie said the workers not only took away her loved ones, but also took away her sense of safety.

“There is a feeling of discomfort when your home is no longer a safe space,” she said. “There is some unrest here and it is not easy.”

“Now my youngest doesn’t want that (new animals). She said, well, what happens if someone comes? I don’t want this to happen like it happened to Patty and Betty.”

KIRO 7 News received a report number from the Grays after they said they filed a report with the Kitsap County Sheriff’s Office.

We reached out to the Kitsap County Sheriff’s Office for more details about their investigation. We are still waiting for a response.

The Grays buried their beloved pets in their backyard, near a headstone made by their daughters.

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The Grays told KIRO 7 News they are asking for more safety protocols when it comes to slaughtering animals on private property.

Nathan said this situation could have been avoided if workers followed thorough safety measures.

“I got even more angry when they said their boss said they were going to a house with no one home, and that seems to be the protocol for this kind of thing,” he said.

Nathan said he is also worried about people’s safety after his family’s beloved pets were allegedly killed in broad daylight near his neighbor’s home.

“Patty and Betty were shot 15 feet from my neighbor’s fence,” he said. “Her garden is right on the other side. Is this protocol?

Nathan said the family would like to see additional safety protocols for workers scheduled to butcher animals, including ensuring the owners are home, the animals are tagged and there is a signed paper document that outlines an agreement between the owner and the company.

“If you’re bringing a firearm onto someone’s property, they should be home,” Nathan said.

“There needs to be better protection for people like me and my family. So that this doesn’t happen again. Someone needs to be home. You need to check the boxes instead of going to your house and killing an animal without anyone there,” said Natalie.

The Grays told KIRO 7 News they have hired an attorney, but have no details about their plans for the future.

We reached out to their attorney, Adam Karp, who shared the following statement with us.

“I represent the Gray family. The law treats Betty and Patty the same as Golden Retrievers or Norwegian Forest Cats, except that pigs are defined as “livestock” under certain laws. Intentionally causing physical injury to any animal without legal justification is a crime under RCW 16.52.205(1). And there is a civil action for cattle theft under RCW 4.24.320, which allows for triple exemplary damages and attorneys’ fees. The crime elements of animal cruelty under RCW 16.52.205 provide a basis for prosecuting under civil livestock theft law when the harmed animal is livestock. A recent appeal I won from Yakima, Thorley v. Nowlin, held that this statute allows for the recovery of damages for emotional distress (triple) in the case of malicious injury to livestock, livestock theft, or crime of animal cruelty to livestock.

I think it’s important to note that there is absolutely no relevant difference between pigs and dogs or cats. We can form close relationships with all mammals if we have the time, skill, desire, and respect for the sanctity of life – as the Grays do. I was hired to explore criminal, civil and regulatory avenues to bring justice to Betty and Patty and ensure that no horror like this happens again.”

KIRO 7 News also reached out to the Washington State Department of Agriculture about the alleged incident.

A spokesperson said the agency does not handle incidents like this, adding that it also has not received a complaint report about the alleged event.

“Almost all meat processing facilities are regulated by the USDA (not the WSDA, federal versus state). However, some operations may be exempt from federal jurisdiction. That’s where we come in.

The WSDA Food Safety Program licenses and inspects three types of custom meat operations: custom meat facilities, custom slaughter facilities, and custom farm slaughterhouses. The company you mentioned is licensed by us as a custom meat facility and as a custom farm slaughterhouse.

RCW 16.49 gives our agency the authority to license and inspect these custom meat facilities.

It should also be noted that the USDA has the authority to withdraw a company’s exemption if it violates the conditions of that exemption. Our custom facility inspections typically review the suitability of equipment and facilities, as well as sanitation practices. There are also some minor labeling and recordkeeping requirements. Most of them can be found in WAC Chapters 16-19 mentioned above.”