Port Orchard family suing after they say butcher business killed their pigs

PORT ORCHARD, Wash. — A Port Orchard family said they’re suing after their pet pigs were allegedly slaughtered after a butcher business got the wrong address.

The lawsuit, filed in the Kitsap County Superior Court, seeks damages and attorney fees for the loss and emotional distress of losing their pigs.

KIRO 7 News spoke with Natalie and Nathan Gray, the owners of Patty and Betty.

Natalie said they purchased the pigs in 2022 from a local breeder to expand their family, which now includes cats, dogs, ducks and a chicken.

“They were adorable. They were so cute. They were the size of a small little dog,” said Natalie. “We haven’t had them before. By not eating meat, I heard they were just like dogs and super fun to have, and I wanted my girls to have pigs.”

The Grays treated their beloved pet pigs with care, she added, celebrating special occasions with them including their birthdays.

“I would go out every morning and hang out with them and make sure they had the attention they needed before I went to school and would feed them, give them fresh water, make sure their bath was full,” she shared.

But on Wednesday, May 1, their hearts were crushed, they told KIRO 7 News.

“Both Patty and Betty were laying in a big pool of blood, and a mess, and one of them had shackles on her,” Nathan said.

Nathan told KIRO 7 News that he was away from his home for about 20 minutes Wednesday afternoon after he had left his front gate open.

He later received an alert on his phone that someone was on his property.

Nathan and his wife rushed home after he had asked one of his employees to check out his home, he said.

The Grays found a white box truck parked on their property and their beloved pigs shot to death in their pig pen, they told KIRO 7 News.

The workers of a local butcher business got the wrong address, they said.

“How could you be so neglectful to be at the wrong place?” Natalie said, “They (pigs) were never meant to die like that. They were supposed to die of old age.”

“How could you take something that was so dear to me and my daughter’s heart? Were you in a hurry? Were you not paying attention?” Natalie asked.

Nathan and Natalie said no one was home and they did not receive a phone call before their pets were allegedly killed.

Their address also did not match the address the workers had on file, Nathan said.

“This (address workers had on file) is not this address. Our address is on our mailbox, on our gate, on our house,” he told KIRO 7 News.

Natalie said the workers did not only take away their loved ones, but they also took away their sense of safety.

“There’s a feeling of unease when your home isn’t your safe space anymore,” she said. “There’s some unrest here and it’s not easy.”

“Now my youngest, she doesn’t want that (new animals). She said, well, what happens if someone comes over? I don’t want that to happen like it happened to Patty and Betty.”

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