We are pygmy goat breeders from Oregon. We travel to a lot of NPGA (National Pygmy Goat Association) shows in Washington and have for many years now.

Federal Way residents Kelly and Ava Anissipour are part of our goat family, and so we enjoy Ava’s determination of her wants.

I met Ava and her mother at the Fall Fair in Pullayup a couple of years ago. I personally knew that Ava was a different special soul and trying to help another breeder at the time get her animals shown, as the breeder was not well at the time. Ava took on a lot of responsibility to earn her dream of owning a goat. She was about 9 years old at the time and managing to show large bucks on top of that. Those bucks were pulling her around the ring and I ended up helping her to get the job done. Actually, they outweighed her by far. She was so determined to earn her goat privileges.

I personally know the breeder and later she gave me details of Ava’s determination, including helping to feed and clean barns at her facilities. During this time period, Ava has become more sociable with many of us in the NPGA world. Where before, she was very much to herself, very very quiet and you could tell that she was a bit unsure of herself. I would like to point out of how confident she is of herself now, and we so admire her for her accomplishments. These goats have helped her in a healing way, as they do many of us.

In our eyes, Ava was a child in need and her soul knew that these special little goats were going to help her in time. I once had special needs and outgrew them with the help of my father and mother in a supportive fashion, unknown to many people.

As far as the smell goes, if I were you, I would go right over to their property and check it out for yourself. Pygmy goats do not smell! Trust this statement. If you want to smell something pretty, check out one of the local pygmy goat farms and take a good whiff of their bucks. Now that is some pretty good smelling stuff!

Any goat, including pygmy goats, are herd animals. You must have two and it’s always been that way. I have a friend that rescued a boer goat and when she finally got him well enough, and guess what? He was a screamer!

I gave her a retired pygmy goat and guess what? He was content. This was in Baker City, Ore., just in the past week, where goats are considered pets. The neighbor had actually turned her in for a screaming goat.

If Ave’s goat Juju is re-homed, which will break Ava’s heart, I guarantee you that her older goat Lilly will cry a lot. Then how will the neighbors appreciate that one? Then they will also try to have Lilly taken away from her, when she screams all day long, as I can see the handwriting on the wall now.

Goats are very smart and can be trained in many ways. For example, my friend in Baker City had her boer goat potty trained to the cat litter box in the house. I have a picture of proof and would be happy to send it for evidence.

I seriously cannot believe that such a law would be held, to say that those two little goats need 70,000 square feet to roam in. Really? That footage is more for a 1,000-pound horse or cow, not a 40-50-pound goat. My buck pens are 300 square feet on average and most of those weigh 70 pounds.

Look at the picture of the inside Anissipour’s house. Does that look like a stinky dirty house to you? I’d say not! And I guarantee you, their yard is spic and span too.

I feel that this situation needs to be very open minded, and I don’t read that in the news. I feel that further measures need to be taken. If I were in the Federal Way mayor’s shoes, I would go investigate for myself. Put yourself in that child’s shoes, just once.

If you care to call and discuss Ava’s situation with me, please feel free to do such. Thank you for taking the time to review my letter. I feel it is very important to reconsider these herd animals as Ava’s soul support on a daily base. If her mother Kelly didn’t believe in her and wasn’t so supportive, then Ava would still be that insecure, very very quiet child.

Bow L. McEwen, Baker City, Oregon