Seattle, Washington - They have hoofs instead of paws and aren't known for fetching sticks or chasing mice, but pygmy goats are now legally pets in Seattle.

The City Council voted unanimously to reclassify the goats - also known dwarf or miniature goats - as small animals rather than farm animals after testimony touting the virtues of the dog-sized critters as companions, weed eaters and milk producers.

The little goats - up to 2 feet tall and weighing 50 to 100 pounds - must have pet licenses, just like cats, dogs and potbelly pigs. However, these pets must be dehorned and males must be neutered to reduce musky odors.

They're not allowed outside the owner's yard - but other people can borrow them for grazing.
The measure was suggested to Conlin by Jennie Grant, president of the Goat Justice League.

The goats "are happy, they have each other, they have enough space to do the things goats like to do," Grant said. "Every day they harvest blackberry bushes. Every day I get a half gallon of delicious milk. I make cheese and I bring it to the neighbors."
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I'm actually surprised the city of Seattle would allow this. Goat are legal to keep outside the city limits in King Co. (my friend has 5 pygmy goats, she got them to eat her blackberries, and they don't LOL) But typically cats and dogs have only been allowed in teh city limits. Technically, last I checked (a few years ago) not even parrots are legal within the city limits, but no one would say anything to you if you had one.

My heart really goes out to all those downtown Seattle lofts that have hardwood floors. And the neighbors downstairs. LOL clippy clippy clop clop. If my friends experience is worth anything, pygmy goats don't make terrific house pets. It's just going to be another animal that winds up in our shelters up here. Fantastic.

haha

Clippy clippy clop clop? Aw

Wouldn't mind having a couple of those......won't have to mow my lawn.

Trouble is they eat everything else too, don,t they? But as long as you have a big enough yard and they don,t eat through the neighbors fence , why not! But i wouldn,t want to see them allowed in apartments! Obviously there have to be some restrictions and resposible owners only!

Seattle to allow pygmy goats as pets.
It's not pygmy goats... it's pygmies and goats.
I own two goats and three pygmies.

goats should not be allowed in city limits, that's just inhuman , Goats are assume animals and need more than just yard grass, I own a few goats myself not pygmies, but a goat is a goat, they are a farm animal not a yard ornament. no matter if male is netured or not it still ends up with that musky odor, just not as strong,

More examples of humans enslaving animals for their own pleasure. Waits for 50 years down the line when goats are ruining the apartments and not being cared for properly and the animal shelters are bursting. Waits for when they decide to nail soft padding onto the goats hooves so they won't damage the floors.

Petdom animal slavery with its own super store. Its makes me retch.

And that's true.

A few years ago (maybe 10?) Potbellied pigs were the big thing. I had forgotten that Seattle allowed residents to keep them legally. Naturally, all the pet freaks and fad lovers all ran out to get one. A year later, the shelters and pig rescue operations were out in full force collecting all those pigs because they were no longer "cool" (and had grown WAY too big to be house pets). it created a real problem. Thousands of pigs no one wanted.

I can't believe Seattle is making this same mistake twice.

My friend lives in a County area, and has an acre and a half and no real close neighbors. She and her husband have no children and both work from home. They accidentally have 5 pygmy goats (which DO get bigger than 2ft tall sometimes), they really only intended on having 3, but they took one in as a rescue, and 6 weeks after getting her they went to the barn to find twin kids laying in the straw. Whoops! They were quite shocked.

None-the-less, the males are fixed, the females produce milk that they do drink and make cheese with. The cheese gets donated to a local food shelter. I don't have a problem with my friend keeping those goats, she has a purpose for them and they kinda double as pets (although they're admittedly not great pets or terribly affectionate or even smart).

Even if I had room, I wouldn't keep a goat, but if you're like my friend, and have a horse acre chunk of land and want to embroil yourself in a little agriculture and farming (which they also do with their gardens) then go for it if you're going to be responsible for it. I can pretty much be certain that there's no one living in the Seattle City Limits that has a horse acre and a barn.