Official says woman may keep goat in van

updated 6:47 a.m. ET April 25, 2007

SHERIDAN, Wyo. - Shirley Weidt says people should stop complaining about the goat in her minivan. After all, there’s plenty of room in the ba-a-a-ack with the seats removed.

Despite protests from some residents, city animal control officer Ray Buhr said Weidt isn’t violating any laws or treating the animal cruelly.

“The van is kept clean,” Buhr said. “We’ve checked several times. There’s really nothing in ordinances or state statutes that says she can’t do that. The goat is entirely happy in there.”

Weidt said it’s “nobody’s business” if she keeps her goat in a van. The goat is in the van so it won’t escape, she said.

Beverly Saxton, who lives near property Weidt owns, thinks keeping the goat in the minivan is cruel.

“A farm animal should have the opportunity to graze and exercise,” Saxton said. “When it’s trapped in a van, it doesn’t have those possibilities. That’s not an environment for an animal. That’s hideous.”

Other residents have voiced similar concerns about the goat.

Buhr said he doesn’t like the goat being in the van either, but he said the animal has food and water, and the back seats have been removed for more room.

Buhr said animal control officers will continue to check on the goat, noting that once summer arrives, it might be too hot for the goat to stay in the van.

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