12-year-old David Valentine of Miami Township, Clermont County, Thursday plays on a trampoline with one of his goats, Blessing. Some neighbors have complained, but his parents say they're a necessity.
Posted on 11/04/2005 12:50:03 PM PST by Cagey
MILFORD, Ohio - The family of a 12-year-old boy with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder has filed a federal lawsuit fighting the removal of two pet goats that the boy uses for therapy.
David Valentine plays with the goats - jumping with them on a trampoline in the backyard of his parents' house - and even lets them inside to watch television.
But officials in Miami Township in Clermont County, about 20 miles east of Cincinnati, say the goats violate zoning codes. Neighbors also have complained about the goats.
Patty Valentine, David's mother, said the family would have to move, which it can't afford to do, if David can't continue living with the goats.
The Valentines, with the help of a Columbus-based advocacy group for people with disabilities, filed a federal lawsuit this week. The Ohio Legal Rights Service argues that it's against the law to discriminate against a handicapped person by denying him a dwelling.
The family has a lot of animals on its property: dogs, cats, guinea pigs, rabbits, turtles, a parrot and a gerbil. An electric fence keeps all the animals in. But only the goats help David manage his disorder, his mother said.
David, a seventh-grader in the Milford school district, keeps his grades up because he knows he doesn't get to play with or take care of the goats unless he does well in school, his mother said.
David said the goats - a 2-year-old caramel pygmy and an 18-month-old American Alpine - motivate him more than the other pets because they're like a kid with ADHD.
"They don't really listen very well," said David, a seventh-grader in the Milford school district. "That's kind of like me."
The township has summoned the family to court Nov. 17 to try to enforce its zoning code.
"If you live in a subdivision, if you buy a house, do you want goats in your neighbor's backyard?" asked Township Administrator David Duckworth.
12-year-old David Valentine of Miami Township, Clermont County, Thursday plays on a trampoline with one of his goats, Blessing. Some neighbors have complained, but his parents say they're a necessity.
That is kind of weird.
I'd say that goat has a real twinkle in it's eye for that kids. Hmm....
Goats ...
""If you live in a subdivision, if you buy a house, do you want goats in your neighbor's backyard?" asked Township Administrator David Duckworth."
Sure, why not? I'd as soon have goats in my neighbor's yard than dogs. I'd probably feed them carrots through the fence.
This is silly. Goats aren't that big a deal in a neighborhood. If they help this kid, let him keep 'em.
WTF?!
I don't see the issue here. People keep dogs, cats and other animals as pets, what's wrong with a goat that is in a fenced in yard?
Weird, but pretty cool. And unless it was causing a really overwhelming goat-dung odor on my property, I can't imagine I'd complain about it.
Same here. I think goats are actually rather clean to keep.
It might be a noise issue. Goats can be noisy if you only have one or two of them. Three seems to be the magic number that makes them quieter.
As long as the goat is not a sexually intact male, the smell should not be bad. But males that have come into rut - worst smell ever.
Goats can't be any noisier than some of the monstrous dogs that live near here...
I guess that would be subjective depending on the amount of land and such. In theory I would have no problem with it. If the goat poop piled up and they were noisy (what sound exactly do goats make?) then I might complain. But I have the same complaints about the down wind smell I get from my neighbors dogs at times and I don't want to boot them out. But I guess you have to draw the line somewhere. I don't think I want a cow or horse next door.
But this, on the other hand, is a stupid objection.
Goats are less of a threat to everyone than the common dog, not that most dogs are any threat at all. We happen to keep a couple out back, they're clearing our lot. They also have as much personality as a dog, though I wouldn't let one inside, they tend to leave a trail of pellets.
goat on a trampoline ping
That is cool!
Pygmy goats are specially bred as pets, they are about the same size as German shepherd dogs.
Agreed. I have goats, and was just trying to think of why someone would object.
Animal story pingy!
"If you live in a subdivision, if you buy a house, do you want goats in your neighbor's backyard?" asked Township Administrator David Duckworth.
Uh...is that supposed to be a rhetorical question? Or am I just stupid?
Watch out for the muzzies, I forget which holiday it is, but around Easter they eat a lot of them.
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