Neligh Family Asks City Council To Allow Blind Goat In Town

Calling it an example of "blind faith," a Neligh family is asking the City Council to change an ordinance to allow them to keep a blind goat in their home.

Gizmo, a two-week-old Nigerian Dwarf goat is living with David and April Williams on J Street in Neligh. They said Gizmo will grow to be about 24 inches tall and is currently fed out of a bottle and house trained.

"He is blind in both eyes, and his mom kept stepping on him and was refusing to nurse him," Rebecca Williams said. "He was failing."

But according to Article 5 of Neligh's ordinance, goats are among the animals banned in Neligh. In order for Gizmo to stay, Neligh City Clerk Dana Klabenes said the City Council would have to change the ordinance. Consideration is on the agenda for Tuesday's City Council meeting. 

"Basically what the City told me was that I'd have to go up against the City Council and state my claim that he's not a nuisance and why I want to keep him," Williams said. 

Gizmo, whose ears resemble those of a Gremlin, has thrived since moving in with the family a week ago, according to Williams. He's walking better, beginning to eat solid food and is house trained. 

"He potty trained himself, which I think is amazing because I didn't even know goats could do that," she said. "He'll walk in a circle when he has to go to the bathroom. If you're not paying attention, he'll try to find you and bump into you. Then he'll walk in a circle around your feet."

But what if the City Council doesn't change the ordinance? Williams said he would return to Eric and Jennifer Iler's farm near Elgin, where he came from even though he's blind and wouldn't be able to defend himself well in the herd. 

"If they do decide he's a nuisance, at least he got to make people smile and we got to help him get a little stronger," Williams said. 

For more on Gizmo, visit his Facebook page, Gizmo's Blind Faith.