Johnson County HOA trying to remove family’s pet pig. They’re fighting it
After Lea Rookwood and her husband had their first son, they knew they could not get a traditional family pet. Her son had terrible allergies, and he would break out in hives around dogs.
So, they decided to get a pig.
“My husband was following her online. Her baby pictures are so stinking adorable. And he said, ‘Hey, let’s get Shera,’” Rookwood told The Star.
Shera, now seven, is the Rookwood’s family pet. An American Mini Pig from Idaho, she lived with the family first in California, and now Kansas.
Now, though, the Rookwoods are being forced to remove Shera from their home by their new neighborhood’s homeowners association. The Rookwoods moved into a house they purchased in the Crimson Ridge neighborhood in Shawnee, Kansas, in the middle of May, and they received a Notice of Violation from the HOA on June 7.
“I was extremely shocked,” Rookwood said. “It hurts. We weren’t even presented with a platform to stand up for ourselves.”
‘We did our due diligence’
Rookwood said she had done everything she could to make sure Shera would be welcome in the Crimson Ridge neighborhood before moving there.
Before she and her husband bought the house, they reached out to the Crimson Ridge HOA to ensure having Shera would not be a problem. Rookwood first emailed the HOA about Shera on April 15, a month before she closed on the home, according to emails obtained by The Star.
Steven Drumm, the president of the HOA, responded the next day and said he would get input from the board.
He also included the Crimson Ridge Declaration of Restrictions, which state that “No animals, livestock, or poultry of any kind shall be raised, bred or kept on any lot, except that dogs, cats, or other common household pets may be kept.
“In the event an otherwise permitted animal, in the discretion of the Board, constitutes a nuisance or endangers the safety or welfare of any resident of the subdivision, such animal shall be removed from the subdivision by the owner thereof. In the event the owner fails or refuses to remove the animal, the Board of Directors may cause the animal to be removed.”
Rookwood responded that same day and said “I respect your consideration, and certainly let me know if she can join the community. Please note, we are considering a purchase at the moment, so time is of the essence.”
In his next email, Drumm told Rookwood he had gotten input from the board and it was positive. He then sent another email and said informally, “there wasn’t anyone that was seriously opposed” on the board. He also said there was no precedent for having a pet pig in the Crimson Ridge neighborhood.
He told Rookwood that formally, the HOA Board had not taken the issue up and no approval or denial had been issued. He also said since the pig didn’t live in the neighborhood, “there is nothing to address and there is no problem.” He said no agenda item was planned to discuss Shera.
“If there isn’t an issue, the Board is unlikely to ever add this to the agenda. Should there be a complaint, the board may consider it and the HOA Board may consider your opinion, the city of Shawnee’s, and facts as to why this is causing a problem before invoking the nuisance removal or other actions permitted by law,” Drumm’s email said.
Drumm and Rookwood then had a phone call, which Rookwood said consisted of brainstorming whether to classify Shera as a livestock animal or pet.
Drumm said the HOA had no comment for The Star on the issue.
Rookwood said she got the formal notice in June, which said the board had received concerns about Shera and deemed her a violation of HOA rules. Rookwood said she heard from a police officer who visited the home that the complaints were about Shera’s smell and her potential to lower property values in the neighborhood.
Star reporters who visited the home did not notice any strong odors coming from Shera or her living spaces.
The issue was supposed to be discussed at a board meeting on Monday, but it was canceled so the venue could be changed, according to Drumm.
“She had a permit,” Rookwood said. “We did our due diligence to get permission.”
Shawnee special animal permit
Shera has a Special Animal Permit with the City of Shawnee, but Rookwood said it is in an unofficial limbo status because of the ongoing dispute with the HOA.
The permit was granted on April 1, and is set to expire on December 31, according to the document obtained by The Star.
Doug Donahoo, Shawnee’s communications director, said homeowners must reapply for a new permit when they move. He also said owners must establish their animal is allowed under existing HOA regulations.
“The process requires the City gather feedback from neighbors within 200 feet of the animal owner’s property, that feedback is then used in the decision to approve or deny the special animal permit. Additionally, the HOA may have its own regulations that can supersede any decision made by the City in this case,” Donahoo wrote in an email.
Before moving to Crimson Ridge, the Rookwoods lived in another HOA subdivision in Shawnee, and Rookwood said neither the board nor neighbors had any problems with Shera.
Shera the pig
Shera, named after the She-Ra: Princess of Power cartoon, is the family’s second pet pig. As a young couple, the Rookwoods had a 300-pound male pig named Kosher. Rookwood said a pet pig “is a very huge responsibility not to be taken lightly.”
Shera was specifically bred to be a companion animal, and she weighs 120 pounds. Rookwood said Shera is very smart and experiences moodiness and happiness. She also said she plays and jumps around like a dog and cuddles up with the family on the couch. Sometimes, though, Shera just wants to be left alone and Rookwood said she can be feisty and stubborn.
Shera spends most of her time indoors, but Rookwood said she goes outdoors to use the bathroom and nap in the sun. Shera’s favorite food is carrots, but she also eats pelletized vegetables and grains. She likes all kinds of vegetables and is completely vegan.
“If I’m cooking something with veggies and I have, like, the extra ends, she gets all that,” Rookwood said.
Shera also has two younger Sphynx cat siblings who she gets along well with, according to Rookwood.
Rookwood said she doesn’t know what she’ll do if the HOA forces her to remove Shera from the home. She said she’ll have to take Shera to another property in Shawnee or to a local farm that can accommodate her.
“While we get this whole mess figured out, we’ll just temporarily put her somewhere else,” Rookwood said. “It’s not gonna be far. So if I have to make that extra drive a few times a day, so be it.”
Rookwood said everyone in the family has a close bond with Shera, and she just wants them all to be able to stay together.
“Our goal is to get things, you know, cleared up so we could once again live as a family unit together,” Rookwood said.
The Star’s Zuri Primos contributed to reporting.
This story was originally published July 23, 2025 at 12:23 PM.
