Angelica Ramos
Contributing Writer
BLACKSBURG- The Blacksburg Town Council approved a zoning ordinance exception during their Sept. 24, 2024 meeting to change a one acre lot of land from a rural residential zoning to an agricultural use zoning ordinance in order to not separate a family from their pets.
Board of Supervisors member Anthony Grafsky was issued a violation letter regarding the animals he and his family had on his property due to complaints to the Town of Blacksburg, according to Blacksburg Town Planner Matthew Sampa’s presentation to the Blacksburg Town Council. The Grafsky family has on their property a pig and two pygmy goats who, according to Grafsky in his appeal to the town council, were rescues being attacked and abandoned and, in the case of the goats, being bred for meat. As the Grafsky family had rescued the animals when they were very young, they were raised and trained as pets. Grafsky showed the town council a video of their pig, Brutus, being walked on a leash like a dog by his son.
“At this point,” Grafsky said, “Brutus is about the size of our corgis. We have corgis at home, as well. Just walking my pig, in fact, he’s more well-behaved than the corgis are.”
Sampa’s presentation to the town council explained that the Grafsky lot is one acre and was, at the time of presentation, listed under zoning ordinance Rural Residential One, but as the animals are considered farm animals, a special exception request needed to be made to change that zoning ordinance to agricultural use. The animals’ enclosure is located in the backyard of the Grafsky home. Grafsky explained the animals have ample space in their enclosure.
Neighbors of the Grafskys came out to speak on behalf of the family and the animals during the meeting. Both neighbors that spoke are immediate neighbors as they are side by side with the Grafsky lot.
“I can tell you, firsthand,” Bruce Herman, neighbor, said, “that there is zero problem evident to us in any aspect with those animals. There is virtually no noise, no smell. The pygmy goats and pot belly pig are secure, friendly and safe. They have ample space, ample shelter. Many people, I believe, would find them less intrusive than a lot of dogs and cats. I’ve interacted with those animals, myself, literally hundreds of times and they rush to greet me when they see me and my dog and never fail to brighten my day.”
The Blacksburg Town Council approved the resolution for the special exception with the restriction being for just the current animals on the property. The homeowners cannot have any additional farm animals on the property with the approval of this exception. The exception lasts 10 years. As the animals are fully grown, and as Grafsky explained the goats’ life expectancy is 15 years, the family will have to renew the exception after its 10 year expiration.
