LISBON, New York (WWNY) – The neighbors getting your goat? Around one intersection in Lisbon, that’s literally true. Residents there would like some four-legged interlopers to butt out.
Lunchtime on Nelson Road in Lisbon. For these goats, the buffet is the farmer’s field across the road. For years, the herd has roamed the area seemingly at will.
Neighbors worry about the potential for serious crashes.
“They’re kinda ridiculous. Up and down the road, going in front of cars,” said Amanda Wells, who lives on 5 Mile Line Road.
Let alone damage to their properties. Last fall, Brenda TenEyck found two of them in her pool.
“And I had a winter cover on it, and they put a hole in it. I was angry. I was very angry,” said TenEyck, who also lives on 5 Mile Line Road.
What do you do when they invade your property?
“I sic the dog on ‘em. The dog puts the run on ‘em, and they go onto someone else’s property,” said Jeff Mee, another 5 Mile Line Road resident.
They seem friendly as they cavort outside their Nelson Road home. Police are routinely called and say there’s nothing they can do. As the herd grows, the problem only gets worse.
“They breed like rabbits and there’s no feed for the poor things,” said TenEyck
Not entirely true. The field where they feast is owned by a nearby farmer, Congressional candidate Blake Gendebien.
“I think they’re the most well-fed goats in the North Country,” he said. “For about ten years now, they’ve been pasturing in our field, whether it’s corn or soybeans, and this year it’s peas and oats and cover crop.”
The Gendebiens have been told they can put up a fence. So far, it’s not worth it.”
“In the long run, it’s just goats being goats. If I was a goat, I’d probably look at that and say, ‘Man, that looks really delicious,’” said Gendebien.
7 News tried to speak with the animals’ owner. Nobody seemed to be home, except the goats.
Town officials say no state law applies to the situation. They are working on a town law that will require certain types of animals, including goats, to be contained.
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