Burnaby pygmy goats: woman gets reprieve in fight to keep them as pets

Alexandra Lezo and her pet pygmy goats — Toggy and Andy — have got a small reprieve. 

Lezo appeared before city council on Monday night, along with some 30 supporters of her goats, to make a plea that she be allowed to keep her animals in her Burnaby backyard.

Councillors ordered a staff review on amending the bylaw to include pygmy goats as pets, which presently states goats are only allowed in areas that are zoned for agricultural use.

Lezo is hoping for an exception or an amendment to the bylaw, saying that her goats are not farm animals.

She came to the attention of the city after a complaint about the goats, and the city issued a bylaw violation notice demanding Lezo find a new home for the animals by March 3.

"They have no agricultural function, they're castrated male goats, they're small," Lezo said.

Lezo has had the goats since they were 8 weeks old. She says she also checked the city's animal bylaws and spoke to a bylaw officer when she first obtained the animals and determined the animals could be kept on her property.

"They really don't belong on a farm, they belong with people. They've been raised with people since day one, so that's where we'd like to keep them — with our family."

"They just love any attention that they can get from people and treat time is their favourite time," she told The Early Edition.

"At night they won't go to bed until they have their Cheerios. That's like their bedtime snack."

To hear the full interview with Alexandra Lezo, click the audio labelled: Burnaby pygmy goats.