When Pigs Fly? 'Pigasus' Missing from Resident's Yard

When Mike Andrews heard his dogs barking Saturday evening, he didn't know what all of the commotion was about. 

Then he discovered the reason for the barking: thieves had stolen the Grayslake resident's prized holiday decoration, "Pigasus," from the front yard of his Belle Court home.

(Or maybe Pigasus flew away to find warmer weather? Florida, perhaps?)

The winged pink pig had been a fixture of Andrews' Christmas decorations ever since he bought Pigasus last year.

"Pigasus was an impulse purchase at the beginning of 2012," said Andrews. "He was a display model on clearance. He didn't have his angel halo, so I saw him as a flying pig rather than an angel pig."

The lighted pig soon became a neighborhood favorite. 

"Pigasus was sort of symbolic of the (Lakefront senior home) project next door and became a bit of a landmark for our neighborhood. The neighbors are upset," said Andrews. "The whole neighborhood lights Santa's runway every Christmas Eve, lining the court with lights to guide him. I have Santa in an airplane and runway lights that have yet to go out. It'll be tough now that it's so cold and the ground is frozen."

'Swine Flew'

While no other pig can ever replace Pigasus—and with the original model no longer available—Andrews ordered a similar pig. He admits, though, that this recent swine-stealing incident has left him a little hesitant about putting out the rest of his Christmas decorations this year.

"As some point you feel like letting the losers win," said Andrews. 

What he does know is that this time around, it'll be tougher for thieves to steal his new pig, who he named "Swine Flew."

"I will rig the new one with an alarm so I'll know if it gets moved," said Andrews. "The next thieves better be ready to outrun my dogs."

He added, "if the thieves are local, they can just leave my pig where they found him."