Seattle Councilman Wants Goats Recognized as Pets
by Jasmin Malik Chua, Jersey City, USA 
on 09. 4.07
Photo credit: The_Brit2
Does Seattle Councilman Richard Conlin's latest proposal stand a goat of a chance?
Conlin wants to give Seattleites the right to keep miniature goats as pets, a move he bills as one step for sustainability. Pygmy goats, says the councilman, can act as environmentally friendly lawnmowers and weed whackers, while supplying a bounty of milk, cheese, and all-natural fertilizer.
Under current Seattle land-use codes, farm animals cannot be kept on lots smaller than 20,000 square feet. Conlin's proposal would reclassify pygmy goats as small animals, requiring only that they be licensed (just like dogs and cats) and for them to be confined to their owner's property. "We're not going to have goat off-leash areas," says Phyllis Shulman, Conlin's legislative assistant.
Conlin plans to butt heads over his proposal at a public hearing Sept. 18. ::King5.com
See also: ::L.A. Demands Fire-Fighting Goats
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I'd be all up for pygmy goats as pets. I had a couple in the past and they were as easy to keep as a dog. While not indoor pets or as cuddly, they were fun to watch. The food was cheaper and the poop was much less objectionable. If you water your lawn well it just breaks down to mulch.
The only downside might be when they get upset and make noise. In an urban area where people aren't used to it, the sound could be mistaken for someone beating a child. The police might not like the calls they get when someone has a lonely goat out in the back yard.
There is nothing better than a baby goat
We had two small miniature goats that did an excellent job of keeping our hill and hilltop meadow neat and trimmed. They were also great pets. One had been bottle-raised by myself. It was like a puppy or toddler, and was also rather possesive; if our dog, a person, or the guineas came near, he would chase them off. I was HIS person. Unfortunately, feral dogs tore through the fence, and that was the end of the goats. We're putting up a new, stronger fence soon and we plan to try miniature goats again. Other than the feral dog problem, the goats were absolutely no trouble. And it was cheering and spirit-lifting just to see them out the window, busy with their little goat lives. A neighbor keeps a a goat and a sheep for lawn purposes, and another keeps 5 goats that clean the acre of so right around her house. We do not live within city limits, so do not have a licensing problem. We highly recommend these tiny, living lawn mowers. Lula, Georgia
What a great idea but does this Seattle Councilman Richard Conlin realize that all those who own even one goat will soon be forced by the USDA to register their premises with the govt?
This act will cloud title to their property.
Don't know what I am talking about?
The USDA thinks they have the answer to all these meat recall problems...called NAIS (national animal identification system) It will require all those who own even one chicken, or other livestock animal, to register their premises, microchip and file birth, death and movement reports so the govt know where those animals are at any moment. The silly reasons given for this program range from bird flu, mad cow, bioterrorist attack or any number of "you need our help" garbage but the real reason is to benefit multi billion dollar corporate agriculture so they can improve their marketability while sticking it to the small producer or pet goat owner. But NAIS tracibility ends at the moment the animal goes to slaughter.
see nonais.org for more info on this draconian program that will stop the green movement in its tracks.