No Goats for Now

Scott Wardle has been very kind in helping me to understand the process and help me get the information I was proposing into the hands of the chairman, Dave McCall. Unfortunately, the goat issue won't be put on the agenda at this time. Most of the council agreed not to take it on.

It's really a bigger issue than just goats. Because if they legalize miniature goats, the concern is about what's next. The city has been approached by many people about making changes that would allow animals that are not currently legal to own. So in order to take on this issue, it will have to be examined in the big picture, considering other animals, how big they are, appropriate lot sizes, and so forth. The current chairman doesn't want to take this on.

However, I am not giving up. What now?

We continue to collect signatures on our petition. After the first of the year we will try again. We need as many signatures of Tooele City Residents as possible. I've found that most people are happy to sign my petition. I would say 99% say yes. Many of them would never own a miniature goat, but don't care if their neighbor does.

Anybody want to help collect signatures?

Submitted

After two or three years of research, the submission has been sent on to the City Council. They are looking at it and will hopefully decide to add this topic to the agenda.

Fingers crossed.

There are three magic moments I remember often.

• When we saw dolphins at a Monterey Bay beach and followed them up the shore. 
• Seeing fireflies for the first time in Kansas City.
• Walking into my backyard early one morning to check on Ms. Billy and finding these two precious babies with her.

The goat magic lasted for 21 days. Then they had to leave.

Goat Pictures

I'm finishing up the proposal for the city. In going through my pictures to find what would supplement the proposal well, I came across this picture and had to share.

We loved that baby goat for all 21 days. Isn't she cute?

Pumpkin Walk

Meet Lilly and Sweetie Pie. They spent the day with me at the Pumpkin Walk, drawing people into the booth. They were a hit. The kids loved them and the goats probably went home spoiled from all the attetion.

Thank you Liz and Steve for the effort you put into getting them there. And thank you Sara, for all you did to help.

One more thank you to all those who signed the petition. We got 155 signatures. A good start.

It was a great day. The lotion business suffered a little, but it was worth it to highlight the goats.

Petition

We need to work on three things.

The why, the who, and a petition.

After visiting with Councilman Wardle, I recognize that these three things are our hope for legalizing miniature goats in Tooele. (And I realized that keeping them miniature makes all the difference).

The why.

This legislation process has been a great education for me. I have realized that I must set emotion aside and focus on the facts. This issue is very emotional for me, so its been a great lesson. If we are ever going to convince the city to take this seriously, we will have to help them see "why" this matters. Our facts need to be solid.

The who.

What other cities in Utah allow miniature goats to be kept. I haven't found any. I was talking to somebody yesterday that said West Jordan allows them. However, finding cities comparable to our own, such as Cedar City, Spanish Fork, would be helpful. It gives them something to look at and see that somebody else in our state has done this. Do you know any?

A petition.
I started a petition three years ago and have many signatures. However, what I failed to do was collect people's addresses, showing that they are Tooele residents. This detail is important.

I happen to have a booth at the Pumpkin Walk at Benson Grist Mill this weekend and decided to put a petition out and start collecting signatures. Others have arranged to have a Nigerian Dwarf out for people to see. She and her baby will be hanging out in my booth today. If you are in the area, stop by and pet the goat. While you are there, we'd love to have your signature on the petition. Tell your friends to come by also.

Hope to see you there.

Trend or Pendulum?

Is urban homesteading a trend or just the pendulum swinging back as suggested in this YouTube video published by Urban Conversion? 



It's a fascinating question.

The interesting thing about Tooele is that when I was growing up next door to where I live now, we had cows, pigs, turkeys and rabbits at various times. And it was all legal then.

I have treasured memories of following my dad out back to watch him milk the cow. He always filled a bowl with the fresh milk for the cats in the neighborhood. They knew when milking time was and showed up to wait. Dad would sometimes squirt one of the cats while he was milking and they would proceed to clean the milk off their fur, enjoying every drop of course. The best thing about the cow was that I had all the milk I wanted. 

The year we had 60 turkeys as a 4-H project, I loved to spend time letting them eat out of my hand. As they grew and became stronger I did this less because it hurt when they pecked your hand. More precious memories.

Why did it change? Why are goats not allowed on a half acre like ours?

Because Tooele is trying to imitate the big city. Many people want to be less rural and more urban. However, what they don't see is all the urban areas that are turning back to what is natural. People have the desire to be closer to their food. Many of those people live in Tooele. But we haven't spoken loudly and synergistically enough yet.

Are enough Tooele residents who care about this issue to make a difference? One person asked me, "Have you filled a room yet?" She said this from experience. She's been through a similar process and said that until we fill a room it won't happen.

What will it take to fill a room with people who care enough to help legalize goats in Tooele?