Citizen Communication_Tom Patterson, Goat Keeping/2Y
z y-1.64
,f-7-z4,/,-
ex../
Ur
Mr. Tim Patterson
1882 White St
Dubuque, IA 52001-3621
I I I I I I I I I I I I
By Judy Keen
USA TODAY
"If you can have a 250 -pound dog in town, why not a miniature goat that can produce milk ?"
Herd the latest?
Miniature goats,
`tame' as dogs,
blaze trails in U.S.
neighborhoods
L ooking for a pet that can live in
your urban yard, answers to
its name, wears a leash for
strolls — and might produce
milk you can drink or turn into
cheese?
Meet the miniature goat.
That's the case goat fans are mak-
ing to city officials across the USA.
Hillsboro, Ore., held three communi-
ty meetings this year, including one
last week, to ask residents whether
goats and chickens should be added
to a list of acceptable pets. City
spokeswoman Barbara Simon says
views run "more pro than con."
The Carbondale, III., Planning Com-
mission was debating this month
whether to allow residents to keep
chickens when Priscilla Pimentel, a
member of the city's Sustainability
Commission, added goats to the mix.
"If you can have a 250 -pound dog
in town, why not a miniature goat
that can produce milk ?" she says.
"It's just common sense." The Plan-
ning Commission hasn't made a rec-
ommendation yet.
Depending on the breed, minia-
ture goats can grow to about 18 inch-
es tall at the shoulders and weigh up
to 60 pounds, says Jim Hosley, who
breeds Pygmy goats in Norco, Calif.
"We've usually got a waiting list,"
he says. "They tame down really fast,
and once they're tame, they'll follow
kids around like a dog."
His prices: about $275 for a male,
$500 fora doe.
Dori Lowell of the National Pygmy
Goat Association says that, despite
their reputation as voracious eaters,
goats are picky about their cuisine
and prefer hay. Only unneutered
males have a strong odor, and goats
can't really bite because they lack up-
per front teeth. She recommends
they be kept in an enclosure that's at
least 25 -by -25 feet.
Stephen Zawistowski of the Amer-
— Priscilla Pimentel, C ondale,111., Sustainability Commission
PLC �.- E,
..- 4 � , r . � -
Goat fans, cities butting heads
Getting some folks' goat: Neil Montacre takes two of the family's Pygmy goats for a walk in Portland, Ore., last
month. Miniature goats, about 18 inches tall and weighing up to 60 pounds, are becoming popular, practical pets.
"They really like people ": Naomi Montacre pets Nellie in Portland, Ore.
She suggests goat owners build a shelter because the animals hate rain.
ican Society for the Prevention of
Cruelty to Animals says it is "cau-
tious" about the urban goat trend. He
worries they'll fall out of favor like
Vietnamese potbellied pigs have.
"My sense is it will get old for people
pretty fast," he says, and mini -goats
will "end up in animal shelters or res-
cue sanctuaries."
Jennie Grant doesn't think so.
She's a part-time copywriter and
mom who collected 1,000 signatures
in 2007 to help persuade Seattle to
put tiny goats in the pet category.
Hers are a cross between Nigerian
Dwarf and standard goats. "They're
very friendly and curious. They're
just funny," she says.
In Portland, Ore., where residents
don't need permits to keep up to
Photos by Alan S Weiner for USA TODAY
three goats, Naomi Montacre says
they're "really easy to take care of."
Nellie, Sebastian and Moon Shark live
at her store, Naomi's Organic Farm
Supply.
She suggests that anyone consid-
ering pet goats get at least two be-
cause they are herders and need
company, and erect a shelter because
they hate rain.
"They really like people and they
think you're part of their herd, but
they don't need you all the time,"
Montacre says.
Debate over Fred and Barney, Ni-
gerian Dwarf goats, played out in
court in Matthews, N.C., a Charlotte
suburb. After Tina and Rich Steiner
brought the goats home, some
neighbors complained that the goats
were noisy and smelly and violated a
prohibition on keeping livestock.
Fred and Barney moved tempora-
rily to a farm, but they're back home
after a judge ruled Feb. 11 that the
animals are pets.
"The Steiners walk them on a leash
and have jackets for them. The goats
fetch balls, jump in their arms and
swing in a swing," says Aaron Lay,
the couple's lawyer. "They are clearly
household pets."