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Woodland Woman Claims Neighbors Planned To Butcher Pet Pig

WOODLAND (CBS13) — A Woodland woman is mourning the loss of her beloved pet big after she says neighbors tried to steal the 85-pound pig to be butchered.

Sara Mangiaracina started a Facebook page called Justice For Henry in the wake of her 5-year-old pig's death, as Yolo County Animal Services investigates the case.

"He was more than a pet he was family," she said. "I taught him a bunch of tricks, he knew how to sit, and spin and shake and do the figure 8."

But last week, Henry died suddenly of a heart attack, a day after he got loose and ended up at a neighbor's house down the street.

"They said that they were gonna take him and slaughter him, thats what they were going to do with him," she said. "So they put one of those choke chains around his neck and put the rest of it around his body and started pulling him into their house."

Mangiaracina says animal services was called and eventually brought her pig back home, but Henry wasn't acting like his normal playful self.

The next day, she says her perfectly healthy pig died of a heart attack.

"He's never been treated in any other way than family so Im sure being treated that way had a lot to do with the reason why hes gone now," she said.

CBS13 tried to ask the neighbors who took in Henry what happened, but they closed the door on us.

But a nearby neighbor says they never intended to hurt Henry, saying it was all a joke.

But Mangiaracina doesn't believe that story.

"It's really sad because he was a really good pet, and there's nothing that anyone can do to bring him back," she said.

Mangiaracina says the neighbors also lied to animal services when they showed up, saying the pig belonged to them.

No charges have been filed yet.

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