The Politics of Goats
Amazingly, there is a political side to keeping goats as pets and to operating Goat Rescue.
In many areas, including our former Santa Cruz County, California, goats are not recognized as pets. They are considered solely livestock. In Seattle, on the other hand, small, de-horned goats are allowed as milkers in urban back yards -- which brings its own set of concerns.
In 2002 we were forced to sell our property in Santa Cruz County because the county wouldn't allow us to keep goats there. Even though we had over an acre of property and legally could have kept three horses, we couldn't keep even one little tiny baby goat.
You might say we were driven out. In fact, at one point we were faced with a lawsuit that could have resulted in a judgement against us for an amount in excess of two and a half million dollars!
If you are interested in these matters, please take a look at these pages:
Letter to our former County Supervisor, Mark Stone...
Santa Cruz County zoning regulations as they pertain to goats...
Our letter to the editor regarding goats in Seattle