Just before they could complete an extensive journey across much of the country, a man and his goats ran into trouble with Arlington animal control.
Animal control has taken custody of the livestock that arrived in Arlington last week, citing a “legal matter,” Jennifer Toussaint, chief of animal control in Arlington County, told ARLnow.
The three goats and their owner, a man known as Jacob Holiday, were just a couple miles away from their long-awaited destination in D.C. Holiday claims to have been on the road for years, with the goal of singing the John Lennon song “Imagine” on the steps of the Capitol building.
“When Animal Control intervenes through enforcement or seizure, those actions are taken only when they are necessary to protect animal welfare or to fulfill our responsibilities under Virginia law,” Toussaint said. “Each situation is evaluated individually based on the facts and circumstances known at the time.”
Holiday arrived in Arlington last Wednesday, pitching camp in the area of Arlington Blvd and S. Carlin Springs Road. A tipster told ARLnow that she last spotted him yesterday (Tuesday) near the onramp onto George Mason Drive, surrounded by police and animal control.
Toussaint declined to comment on the reasons for animal control intervening. However, the Arlington County Code stipulates that all domestic animals need to have “a proper enclosure”:
All animals shall be provided a proper enclosure as its quarters which shall have clean, dry bedding, floors elevated at least four (4) inches from the ground and all sides enclosed including the front. All animals, animal quarters and primary enclosures shall be kept in a clean and sanitary condition and adequate ventilation shall be maintained.
The code also requires that all animals receive “proper shelter and protection from the weather.”
Holiday told Midwest Media in November that he and his goats were traveling from Minnesota to spread a message of peace and love.
“The destination, I know, is Washington, D.C. The path, or the pace, I know not,” he told that news organization.
Holiday was spotted walking through the City of Fairfax with a heavily loaded wagon last month, according to Annandale Today. The publication noted that some people had expressed concern for his goats during a heatwave.
Toussaint previously told ARLnow that she had been notified of Holiday’s arrival in advance.
“This individual … [was] extensively followed up on by a neighboring animal control agency, who verified the health and well-being of the goats,” Toussaint said last week. “We’ve been responsive, and members of Arlington County’s other responding agencies have spoken with this individual to make sure they’re being mindful about, you know, heat safety and things of that nature.”
She now says the goats are “receiving appropriate care while this matter proceeds through the legal process.”
“We appreciate the community’s concern for these animals and ask for patience as the legal process moves forward,” Toussaint said.
Another goat-related brush with the law took place over the weekend in D.C., where a man was detained while walking a goat. Video of the incident went viral, but while some claimed that the man was arrested for having a pet goat, he was actually only temporarily detained in connection to an unrelated be-on-the-lookout alert, Washingtonian and The Washington Post reported.
