Domestic pigs in Port Orchard were wrongfully killed, owners demand change and accountability

PORT ORCHARD, Wash. – A Port Orchard family came home to find their pet pigs being slaughtered by a butcher shop.

The butcher shop employees went to the wrong address and killed the wrong pigs.

“They were never meant to be slaughtered. They were meant to be pets,” said Natalie Gray, Patty and Betty’s owner.

Gray said they were like dogs, running after their daughters and playing in the mud. They were supposed to spend their days at Gray Acres Farm.

Last Wednesday, while running an errand, Natalie’s husband Nathan received a security alert that a box truck was on their property and driving near the pig pens.

Nathan, one of his employees and Natalie rushed home to make a disturbing discovery.

“My employee came up to me and said, ‘Those guys shot your pigs,'” Nathan said.

“I came around the corner and both Patty and Betty were dead in the pen. And Betty already had chains wrapped around her feet. I called the police,” Natalie said.

Employees of a butcher shop that also offers mobile slaughter killed Patty and Betty before realizing they had the wrong address and the wrong pigs.

“He said he thought he had been here before and his GPS must have made a mistake,” Nathan added. “They didn’t even knock on the door. It’s just crazy.”

The Grays don’t want this to happen to other people’s animals.

Nathan and Natalie hope to see a change in the regulations and laws surrounding slaughter on private property. They believe the property owner should be present and that more crates need to be checked before slaughter occurs.

“The bottom line is, if someone comes onto your property with a firearm and kills your animal, you should be home,” Nathan added.

They believe that if more was done to ensure the company got to the right place, Patty and Betty would still be alive.

“I’m just in disbelief and anger that someone could come onto my property and do this without anyone being home and I can’t let that part go,” Nathan said.

The WSDA Food Safety Program licenses and inspects three types of custom meat plants: custom meat plants, custom slaughter plants, and custom farm slaughter plants.

A WSDA spokesperson told KING 5 that they have not received a report about this specific event, but it is not something they typically investigate.

“The company has a license to operate a slaughter vehicle. The issue does not sound like it is related to unsanitary practices, equipment issues, failure to post identification tags, etc., which are things we could blame a company for not complying with,” the spokesperson said.

The Kitsap County Sheriff’s Office responded and took a report. This report was sent to the Kitsap County Prosecutor’s Office for review.

KING 5 spoke with the owner of the business responsible for the mistake, and the owner emphasized how deeply he apologized. He said he hopes something like this never happens again and that they have reviewed and changed their policies.

Adam Karp, an attorney representing the Grays, argues that the pigs, which are considered farm animals, are no different from pets.

Karp sent KING 5 a statement that read, among other things:

“The law treats Betty and Patty no differently than golden retrievers or Norwegian forest cats, except that certain laws define pigs as “livestock animals.” Intentionally injuring an animal without lawful cause is a felony under RCW 16.52.205 (1) And there is a civil cause of action for livestock theft under RCW 4.24.320, which provides for treble exemplary damages and attorney’s fees. The elements of animal cruelty in RCW 16.52.205 provide a basis for a civil theft of livestock action when the animal harmed is livestock.”