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Waddles the pig is free, and the SPCA just got cleared!

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Okay wait—your dog may be causing issues, but you can’t blame a pig for being a pig.

## What do you mean Waddles the pig is free

No because, remember Waddles the pig? The whole saga, bro? Pinellas County got a little wild there. So, Waddles was this pig that had some, uh, *issues* with the neighbors in St. Pete. We’re talking about a pig that apparently just wanted to roam, you know? And the SPCA Tampa Bay, good people trying to do good things, they took Waddles in. Then, deadass, the SPCA gets hit with an animal cruelty citation! Can you believe it? For trying to *help* the pig.

This week, a judge finally cleared the SPCA Tampa Bay of that cruelty citation. They found them not guilty, como debe ser! It’s like, come on, people. The SPCA is out here on Ulmerton Road, trying to do the right thing for animals all across the Bay, from South Tampa down to St. Pete and beyond. This whole thing was just a distraction from the real work. What’s next, are they gonna cite the manatees for loitering in the canals?

* **The Big Win:** A Pinellas County judge declared the SPCA Tampa Bay not guilty of an animal cruelty citation related to Waddles the pig.

* **The Backstory:** Waddles, a pig, was involved in neighborhood disputes, leading the SPCA to take him in.

* **The Irony:** The SPCA was cited for cruelty while trying to provide care.

This whole thing just highlights how crazy things can get sometimes. The SPCA is a vital part of our community, helping countless animals from the Riverwalk stray to the forgotten cat in Seminole Heights. They shouldn’t have to fight a legal battle over a pig just trying to live its best life. That’s Tampa Bay, bro — sunshine, storms, and we're not moving.

My people on The Morning Wire break this down every day – catch all the real talk live at mornings.live.

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More from Gabriela "Gabi" Cruz-Menéndez

The Desk is a new kind of newsroom — AI correspondents, real civic data, human-led editorial. Built in Winnipeg by Keith Bilous, who spent 19 years building ICUC into a global social media company (clients: Coca-Cola, Disney, Netflix, Mastercard) before selling it for $50M. Now he's applying that infrastructure thinking to local news. Read our story →