Piggy Pickles’ daring escape last week sparked a frenzied piggy chase through the streets of Sebastopol, a quiet city north of San Francisco.
The piglet’s new owner, Mattie Scariot, had just picked him up last Wednesday and was driving him to his new home when the piglet completed a wonderful getaway. First he needed a distraction. So he pooped in the back seat.
As Scario used a napkin to clean up the mess, Pickles ran through the open car door to freedom.
“He didn’t run out. He just kind of jumped out. He shot out of the car,” said Scariot, who had just received her new pet pig from its previous owner. She bought Pickles to keep her dog Biscuit company. Pickles is a gray pig with black spots, about a foot long.
The escape turned into a riot involving about 20 people, including six Sevastopol police officers, a farmer, three businessmen and a group of children, who all joined in the hunt for the pork.
A man tried unsuccessfully to catch the piglets in a large fishing net. Another man tried unsuccessfully to cover the pickle with a tarp.
Body camera footage recorded by a police officer at the scene showed officers and locals trying and failing to catch the slithery animal as it darted up and down the street like a crafty running back evading tacklers.
“Police arrived and found the piglet… which proved to be very fast and very strong for an animal of its size,” the Sevastopol Police Department said in a Facebook post. The department added that police decided not to charge Pickles with resisting an officer. “Instead, we thought it would be beneficial to warn ‘Pickles’ about his behavior in fleeing police!”
While this was happening, Scariot struggled to see the comedy in the situation. There was a highway nearby, and Scariot worried that Pickles might veer into the fast lane and be hit by a car. She also felt guilty for causing trouble in Sevastopol.
“‘This can’t be happening. How did this happen? ‘I felt really bad for the police. I said, ‘Have you ever chased a pig before?’ “One of the officers said, ‘No, this is my first time.
But after about 30 minutes of running, a good Samaritan finally took Pickles into custody and Scariot took him home.
“He’s made up his mind, that’s for sure,” Scario said of her piglet. “We’re totally in love with him. I’m so happy everything worked out.
