Washington narrowly approves urban goat

The city of Washington will make an exception to municipal code for a family that requested permission to keep a goat named Honey in town as a therapeutic animal for their son.

“ (The goat) provides him a consistent emotional support system, a constructive soothing stress management solution that keeps him calm,” read a doctor’s note signed by Lindsey Van Duyn, which the family offered for the public record. “Kyle’s emotional distress is such that he qualifies for an emotional support animal, in this case his goat, Honey.”

City code allows urban livestock only with the express permission of the city council on a case-by-case basis. Council members voted 3-3 on the motion at a meeting Tuesday night, leaving Mayor Jaron Rosien to break the tie in favor of the goat.

“Prior to this meeting I was firmly in the camp of, ‘No goat,’” he said. “But when I am asked which is more disruptive, I fear that removing the child’s care from this goat is more disruptive.”

Council members Steve Gault, Fran Stigers and Elaine Moore voted against the motion to allow the goat.

Stigers and Gault cited their fear of setting a precedent that would pressure the city to make other exceptions.

“If you’re going to do it, then you should be making rules about what is going to be classified as an enclosure, what’s not … if you’re going to open this can of worms up,” Gault said. “We might have the final say, (but) if we say yes this time and don’t say yes next time, don’t think that we’re not going to have a mess on our hands.”

Moore said she disagreed with the goat’s role as a support animal, and expressed concern after a comment from Police Chief Jim Lester that the residence had received six calls for service since mid-July.

“It isn’t trained as a service animal, there’s no certification, it is a farm animal,” she said. “It concerns me that there’s been six calls for service there and the goat’s still living there.”

Stigers said he opposed the rule on the grounds of animal welfare.

“If you put one goat all by itself, it gets depressed,” he said. “They flourish when they’re with their own kind because they have someone to play with. If you watch goats, they play.”

Council Members Illa Earnest, Danielle Pettit-Majewski and Millie Youngquist all voted in favor of the motion.

Earnest said she was not worried about setting a precedent.

“I don’t see an overwhelming tide of people trying to get animals in town,” she said. “Any request still is going to come to the city, precedent or not … I just think we’re over-worrying about the future possibility. Anything that’s likely to show up is going to come to council and be council’s decision, case-by-case.”

Pettit-Majewski said the child’s mental health outweighed other concerns.

“This family feels very strongly about how this is helping the child, as does the provider,” she said. “I do not see a reason, if they are able to take care of this goat, that we should deny it without any other concern being brought forward. If it can help this child, I think we need to at least give him the opportunity … I don’t think it’s our place to determine whether this animal is helping, that’s what the provider is saying.”

The approval does not come without caveats. Rosien said the council would revisit the issue in six months.

“I will vote in favor, to allow this goat in town, and would like to make a note on my calendar to revisit this,” he said. “I would like to re-evaluate … and allow it in the meantime, with the caveat that it follows all the rules for any other animal and with the understanding that the precedent is with this doctor’s note.”

Comments: Kalen.McCain@southeastiowaunion.com