In August, DCist got wind that a group of Capitol Hill residents was interested in getting the District to legalize hedgehogs, the small pets that somehow manage to resemble a cuddly pincushion.

“I don’t know that I qualify as a group of people,” laughed Colleen McCormick, an archivist at the Bureau of Engraving and Printing. “It’s mostly me, and I roped my husband into it.”

She didn’t have a ton of time to devote to the cause, and it didn’t seem to be an issue that was galvanizing legions of Washingtonians. But lo and behold, it looks like McCormick will soon be able to legally own a pet hedgehog.

Tucked into the Vulnerable Population and Employer Protection Amendment Act of 2017 (see attachments E-H), which ostensibly is about authorizing the health board to discipline wayward health professionals, is a provision that legalizes ownership of African Pygmy hedgehogs. It passed on first vote Tuesday.

Unlike some jurisdictions that restrict certain animals from pet ownership, the District does the opposite — setting out the specific kinds of creatures that can be legally kept as companions. The bill simply adds hedgehogs to the list. Other acceptable pets besides dogs and cats include rodents, rabbits, common cage birds, non-venomous snakes, fish, turtles, and ferrets.

McCormick got interested in hedgehogs after working at a summer camp in 2009 that had, as she described it, “a little zoo or menagerie.” She fell head over heels for the hedgehog. “Since then, I’ve surrounded myself with hedgehog paraphernalia and people,” McCormick says. She now has friends in other states that keep them as pets. Hedgehog ownership is legal in Maryland and in most Virginia counties.

McCormick describes hedgehogs as “little solitary creatures” more closely related to elephants and giraffes than rodents, with soft underbellies and spiky backs. While some will sit in the palm of a person’s hand, they need to be socialized from a young age to interact with humans, she says. “If they get that, they’re pretty chill about being held. If they don’t, they might be a little less friendly and thrilled about it.”

While Ward 7 Councilmember Vincent Gray introduced the bill, the hedgehog piece came at the behest of Ward 6 Councilmember Charles Allen’s office. Allen has not yet responded to a request for comment.

“We pestered Councilman Allen and his staff regularly over the last couple months without hearing anything until we suddenly got word at the end of October that there would likely be a bill,” McCormick told DCist via email yesterday. “I wish I knew more about Council dynamics and how it was agreed to consider the legislation (or, as I like to call it: ‘hedgislation’).”

The couple, who live in Hill East, moved to the District about four years ago. They knew immediately that one of the downsides of living in the city would mean they couldn’t get their choice of pet. A call to the Health Department confirmed it. But they still wondered if there was a legislative solution.

“As far as we know specifically for D.C., we are the only ones advocating for hedgehogs,” says Jacob Gerstein, McCormick’s husband. “My understanding is that there’s much more of a ferret lobby.” 

Gerstein, a federal employee, says they first brought up the issue with their councilmember at a townhall a few months ago. “We decided, hey why don’t we go talk to him about the time of the  garbage trucks, and if we could legalize hedgehogs … it’s not the typical issue I think he gets.”

It’s the first time either of them had advocated for legislation. Gerstein says he was pleasantly surprised to see the process play out.

“It’s really great to see the local processes work, and to work in such a frictionless, smooth way,” he says. “It’s not the typical experience with bureaucracy that I have.” 

If the bill is enacted, they’ll start looking for a hedgehog that needs a home, rather than buying one from a breeder. The D.C. Council will take a second vote next month, then it would go to Mayor Muriel Bowser for her signature, followed by the usual Congressional waiting period.

Some people have raised objections to hedgehog ownership because the animals can carry certain diseases and could potentially affect the local ecosystem if released into the wild.

But Gerstein isn’t worried that there will be an upswell of hedgehog opposition (hedgisition?). “There’s no way they can be an invasive species; they wouldn’t survive the winter here,” he notes. “Plus, they’re cute.”