Go Green with Pet Goats

COLLIERVILLE, Tenn. - The green pet to get is a goat. A Collierville woman is hoping to pave the way for goats as pets in the suburbs.

The goats' names are Silvie and Lilly. They are being kept as pets by Deanna Caswell and her family.

"Right now they kind of act like puppies," says Deanna. "They jump in your lap, and act and eat and snuggle."

For Deanna, goats were the logical next step in her "urban homestead" lifestyle. She tries to live off the land as much as possible. She grows vegetables and herbs and raises chickens for fresh eggs. When the goats mature, they will help her make cheese.

"They can be used to produce milk because I make cheese and were lactose intolerant," says Deanna.

But for now, the baby goats are just pets. Under anesthesia, the horns have been removed, and they don't bite.

"They will cuddle, they will watch TV with you," says Deanna. "My daughter spent the afternoon watching TV with the goat in the recliner."

When they are full grown they will be about two feet high and weigh around 50 pounds.

And goats are affordable. Deanna paid $30 for her first goat and $50 for the other. $10 will feed two for several months.

"You have to have two goats because goats are herding animals, they would not be happy alone," says Deanna. "If you have a single goat, you're going to have a loud goat."

Otherwise, Deanna says goats are quiet.

They're hearty, and can stay outdoors as long as there's some sort of shelter. Deanna and her son are deathly allergic to dogs and cats, but have no symptoms around the goats.

And the animals can be potty trained.

"Since they're vegetarians, their mess is not diseased," says Deanna. "So you can throw it straight in the garden or straight in the compose pile."

But it hasn't been smooth sailing for Deanna. She was slapped with a citation by Collierville animal control. A Collierville spokesman says Deanna's goat ownership is now up to a judge. This happened as Deanna was going through a permit process outlines by the city.

She had to asked permission to have goats from all her neighbors within 300 feet. So far, everyone is on board.

"If they made this process a permanent part of the code it would put them on the cutting edge of sustainability," says Deanna. "It would allow people like me to live our strange lives in the backyard."

Deanna's court date is Thursday. That should set the standard for goat ownership in Collierville.

It's not allowed in Memphis or Southaven, but people in Bartlett and Germantown can keep goats as pets.