The homeowners association has told Chris and Lauren Miladinovich that they may not bring their pet miniature pig, Nola, to the house they want to buy in The Preserve housing plan in Cranberry Township.

CRANBERRY TWP — A miniature pig named Nola calmly munched on Cheerios Tuesday morning, unaware that she is the focus of a tug-of-war between her owners and a township homeowners association.

Chris and Lauren Miladinovich of West View, Allegheny County, say they have a contract to buy their dream home in The Preserve housing development off Goehring Road, but have been told by the homeowner's association that cats and dogs are the only pets allowed.

Chris Miladinovich said the association last week told their Realtor that the bylaws prohibit livestock or fowl, and that association officials are protecting the interest of the 93-home plan's residents by rejecting Nola. The association said a pet pig could drive down the development's real estate value, Miladinovich said.

The couple said miniature pigs like the 43-pound Nola have been designated as household pets by the U. S. Department of Agriculture, and that former Gov. Tom Ridge declared March 1, 1998, as “Pot-Bellied Pig Day.”

They said Nola is more docile than most dogs, is housebroken, walks on a harness, and communicates through 18 vocalizations. Her favorite activity is napping, Chris Miladinovich said, and she loves to snuggle on the couch with her owners and a pile of blankets.

“We agree with the association board that nobody would want a 1,000-pound pig in their neighbor's yard, but she is clearly a household pet,” he said as Nola nonchalantly munched grass.

So the couple — plus Nola — last Tuesday went door-to-door at The Preserve, asking residents if they would be averse to Nola taking up residence there. The couple said all 11 of the residents who were home said they would welcome Nola, and signed a petition to that effect.

However, their poll was thwarted when a member of the homeowners association told them to stop knocking on doors.

“We complied and immediately ceased,” Chris Miladinovich said.

The home's sellers, Robert and Anita Shaheen, then sent pictures of Nola in her Christmas dress and in other poses, plus a letter, to the association board explaining that miniature pigs are not livestock, Miladinovich said.

The letter also asked the association why it would not heed the results of the petition nor allow a canvass of the neighborhood if its concern is with the development's residents.

The seller said the board replied that the matter has been referred to the association's attorney and there would be no further comment from the board.The president of The Preserve Homeowners Association listed on the website, Jeff Aromatorio, did not return calls from the Eagle for comment. The secretary, Cilissa Stratton, also did not return calls.Lauren Miladinovich said she never expected the fuss when they put the offer in on the house.“I thought I would introduce them to Nola and say 'Here's some information (on miniature pigs),' and they would say OK,” she said.Her husband said he is on a handful of boards and would help the community in any way he could.He is mainly upset because the board has refused to talk with him or his wife, or meet Nola.“The homeowners association has the right to do what it is doing,” he said, “but our feeling is due process was not served,”Lauren Miladinovich said Nola is the hit of their current neighborhood, and she draws positive attention wherever she goes. They said one neighbor has a carrot or apple ready to feed Nola when the couple walks her.“We love dogs, but people don't think twice if there's a 100-pound dog next door,” she said.The couple bought Nola for $1,600 when she was 4 weeks old from a Florida breeder because Chris Miladinovich is severely allergic to cats and dogs. Nola is a Juliana breed, which grow to a maximum of 12 inches tall.The couple was placed on an 18-month waiting list to get Nola, who eats pig pellets twice a day. Her favorite snack is Cheerios.“She is like a lightning bolt when she hears the box come out of the cupboard,” Miladinovich said.The couple said one feature of The Preserve home they loved is that the master bedroom is on the first floor.“Nola gets upset when we are on another floor without her,” Lauren Miladinovich said.Duane McKee, assistant township manager in Cranberry, heard about this issue at The Preserve when township police were called because of the Miladinoviches' canvas of the neighborhood.“We've done our best to stay out of the pig story,” McKee said.Ron Henshaw, the township's community development director, said there are no township ordinances regarding livestock or unusual pets.“That's a product of being a rural community, then growing into a small town,” Henshaw said of the lack of ordinances. “I think we're stuck in that transition between the two.”He said the issue of creating an ordinance has been discussed but never acted upon. Part of the reason may be that township officials are hesitant to enact regulations that would affect the township's longtime farmers, Henshaw said.But he does recognize that unusual pets like miniature pigs, horses, goats and others are becoming more popular.Henshaw said if an ordinance regulating unusual pets or livestock were enacted that conflicted with a homeowners association's bylaws, the stricter of the two would take precedence.The Miladinoviches, who have no children, said they will reluctantly give up on the home in The Preserve if necessary.“Our dreams will be crushed, but there will be another house,” Chris said, “and there's no getting rid of Nola.”

Chris & Lauren Miladinovich has been told by a homeowners assn. that they cannot bring their pet mini pig, Nola, to the house they are purchasing in The Preserve housing development.