Resident urges board to allow up to two pygmy or dwarf goats on smaller Ozark lots

Stevie Berry, a resident of Ozark, asked the Board of Aldermen to consider changing the city ordinance that she said requires a half‑acre lot to keep one goat. Berry asked the council to allow up to two pygmy or dwarf goats on smaller residential lots and suggested rules such as secure fencing, female or neutered animals, a 25‑foot setback and a two‑goat limit per household.

Berry told the board she polled an online community group and said “the response was overwhelmingly positive with over 80% of participants supporting the idea of permitting goats in our neighborhood.” She argued pygmy and dwarf breeds are smaller, quieter than typical dog barking and more suited to a neighborhood setting when kept under rules that address setbacks, fencing and sterilization to reduce odor and escape risk.

Alderman Snyder asked whether Berry sought an amendment limited to pygmy or dwarf breeds; Berry confirmed. Alderman Hutchinson raised concerns about a loud bleating sound he has heard from farm goats and asked whether miniature breeds produce similar noises; Berry replied that goats are “typically quieter than a dog bark” and cited a University of Nebraska study comparing dog-bark decibel levels to goat bleats.

Council members did not take action on the request at the meeting. City staff and aldermen discussed that the city already has an exception for pot‑bellied pigs and that neighboring Rogersville has an ordinance allowing certain small animals under weight limits; no ordinance language or formal proposal was presented for adoption.