Feelings ran a bit high Wednesday when the Diana Avenue Friends
of Goats pleaded with the City Council to let Frank Dutra
’s pet goats come home. “You’ve taken part of my family away and
it’s not right. We’d really like to have them back,” said Dutra’s
daughter Frances, 17. She was close to tears.
Feelings ran a bit high Wednesday when the Diana Avenue Friends of Goats pleaded with the City Council to let Frank Dutra’s pet goats come home.
“You’ve taken part of my family away and it’s not right. We’d really like to have them back,” said Dutra’s daughter Frances, 17. She was close to tears.
While council members differ a bit on how far to change the city’s rules on large animals in the city, all four said something should be done, at least for Frank Dutra’s goats. Councilwoman Hedy Chang is still away, recovering from surgery.
The animals, plus two horses and a mule that Frank Dutra has been caring for, were shipped out a month ago to a friend’s farm on the Delta because, as it turned out, the animals had been breaking the law. The were living on the seven acres Dutra rents from the Pumphrey family in a once-rural area near Highway 101.
City ordinance allows only two animals (livestock, not dogs and cats) on one acre and no more than two on property of any size without a special permit. Dutra’s goats roamed over seven acres. The permit, Dutra was told, would cost about $3,000.
City code enforcement officers were content to leave them alone until two neighbors complained.
Council members have heard from many of the goats’ neighbors, young and old alike, asking that the goats be allowed back. Council’s hands are tied until the animal ordinance law is changed. That is what they started toward Wednesday by sending the matter to the Planning Commission for study and a recommendation.
Mayor Dennis Kennedy said he had talked with Dutra about the fee.
“It seems to me that $3,000 is an excessive burden on an individual, especially since we pride ourselves on living in rural area with animals and open space,” Kennedy said.
Kennedy, Councilmen Larry Carr, Steve Tate and Greg Sellers all said they favored changing the ordinance to allow Dutra’s goats to be “grandfathered” and possibly adjusting the permit fee. Kennedy, Carr and Tate would consider more animals on larger parcels – a sliding scale.
Sellers, who grew up in the city limits with horses – on land now covered with houses and no horses – said times change and people have changed with them – except for the Diana Avenue goats. Grandfathering would allow an established situation to continue even after the law is changed.
Carr said he wanted any ordinance change to be judged case by case so, “when we have a good neighbor we can honor that and when have a bad neighbor we can do something about it.”
Neighbor Natasha Wist sounded the call to arms.
“Long live the goats, two horses and a mule who, before they were ejected, gave children a rural experience,“ Wist said from the podium.
Dutra said he would be happy being grandfathered.
“As long as I can have my animals,” he said.
Dutra went to visit his goats recently.
“They were glad to see me,” he said.
