Urban livestock owners gathered at a town hall to discuss an ordinance that could force them to give up their animals or move to properties with larger acreage.
LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WAVE) — Dozens of urban livestock owners attended a town hall Thursday evening with Councilwoman Jennifer Chappell to address an ordinance she sponsored that could require them to give up miniature horses, pigs, and other animals or relocate to homes with more land.
Chappell invited residents to the livestock town hall after promising in December to review changes related to acceptable parcel sizes that were included in her October ordinance.
In December 2025, WAVE News spoke with Susan Bruner, who has kept her miniature horse, Bandit, at her Germantown home for 20 years. At the time, Bruner expressed concern over the ordinance passed by Metro Council in October, which required pet dogs and cats in the city to be microchipped.
However, embedded within the ordinance were additional changes to city code that would have required Bruner to give up her mini-horse or move to a property with larger acreage in order to keep him.
“I’ve had people offer to take him, but I want to keep him here. And to me, that’s not an option,” Bruner said.
Bruner’s fight to keep Bandit drew Chappell’s attention. In a statement, Chappell said she was unaware of who made the change to acceptable parcel sizes or why it was added to the ordinance, and she committed to looking into the issue.
Thursday’s town hall made clear that Bruner and Bandit are not alone. Andrew and Crystal Buntain were among dozens of urban livestock owners who attended the meeting.
The Buntains said their pink pig, Hugo, is content in his current home and should not be grouped with larger animals like cows or full-sized horses that require more space.
“The neighborhood is safe. Nobody’s getting hurt by our animals,” one attendee said.
“We have them as pets. You know, they’re going to go in an urn on the wall when their time comes. And for us, they bring us a lot of joy. They bring our neighborhood joy,” Crystal Buntain said.
For now, the pet owners remain in limbo as they wait to learn whether they will be allowed to keep their animals. Chappell said she is considering several options, including reversing that portion of the ordinance or creating a council of affected residents to help revise the rules.
The Buntains said the solution is straightforward.
“It would be a good thing to just keep it the way it was, just like owning cats or dogs. Then we just keep going the way we always have,” they said.
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