Goats got rights in Seattle

SEATTLE, Sept. 25 (UPI) -- The Goat Justice League may not be as heroic as the fictional Justice League of America, but it is responsible for giving goats the right to live in Seattle.

City Council members, acknowledging a goat's attributes as human companion, a self-propelled weeding and milk supplier, unanimously voted that the goats could be kept as pets, the Seattle Times reported Tuesday.

"One small step for man, one giant step for goatkind," said Councilmember Richard Conlin, sponsor of the legislation permitting residents to keep miniature goats as pets.

The council's vote marked yet another gain for miniature goats -- also known as pygmy or dwarf goats -- which are about the size of a large dog.

Jennie Grant, goat owner and president of the Goat Justice League, asked Conlin's office to consider changing the law after a neighbor alerted the city to Grant's goats and complained about public health risks.

Goats Brownie and Snowflake, "are happy, they have each other, they have enough space to do the things goats like to do," Grant said during a public hearing.