What to do when your rental house turns into a farm overnight

[Kirk Gore]

So this really happened last year.

My very first group of tenants were 3 college students moving into a SFR (3 Bedroom 1 1/2 Bath) that I had just finished renovating with my business partners. They told us that they had a dog and a cat moving in with them, so they paid the $300 non-refundable pet deposit specified in the lease when they moved in.

We came back to inspect the house a month later and not only was there a dog and two cats in the house but there was also a PIG! When I opened the door to the newly added half bath there on the ground was a pet bed with Toby the black pig laying in it. The beautiful half bath that we had spent nearly a month renovating had sure enough been turned into a pig room.

So having no idea what to do, we told the tenants that they couldn't keep the pig inside but could keep it in the backyard until they could get rid of it. Supposedly they were keeping it for a friend who bought it but lived in an apartment which surprisingly didn't allow pigs. They ended up erecting a working pig pen and keeping it in the backyard for several months before the friend was able to collect it.

I thought it would be entertaining to share this experience. How would you guys have handled this differently and what tips do you have to prevent things like pig surprises from happening?