Woman forced to get rid of pet goat following noise complaints

A woman from Christchurch, New Zealand, has had to get rid of her "bleating goat" to avoid a fine for excessive noise. Jody Cartwright's goat Merrywether, who was just three months old when she bought him in January, is an unusual addition to the list of noise complaints made to the Christchurch City Council this year.

Cartwright had Merrywether at her house for only a month when she started receiving noise complaints in February. "I had a goat when I was young and thought the dog could do with a companion – turns out that didn't work out so well."



She tried to take Merrywether on more walks so he would sleep longer but "he just wanted to be around people". The company of her dog, Tanto, and cat, Dingo, was not enough to stop his bleating. "If it was me coming home or mum coming up the drive, he would bleat for attention."

Christchurch City Council rules stated a noise control officer would visit a home after a noise complaint was received to assess the noise for volume, tone and duration. Cartwright was issued an Excessive Noise Direction and a month to rehome Merrywether to avoid paying a fine of $500. She has now found a new home for Merrywether in rural Ashburton, where he had better facilities and is settling in well.