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Morgan Hill Landscaper Hopes For Return Of Stolen Pregnant Goats

MORGAN HILL (KPIX 5) -- A Morgan Hill landscaper on Wednesday was desperately searching for goats recently stolen from him that he uses in his business. Not just because it's hurting him financially, but because all the animals are pregnant.

"They're part of our family," said Brian Allen, owner of Green Goat Landscapers.

He said sometime after Thanksgiving, between Nov. 21 and 23, thieves stole up to 60 of his goats off a farm near Richmond Avenue.

The lock to the fence was cut, and a trailer was stolen that was used to load the goats and haul them off.

The thieves also vandalized a watering system for the herd.

"We're talking a loss of about, you know, over $10,000," Allen said. "For a small family business, it's a big hit."

But the financial loss is even deeper than that. The goats were expected to give birth to up to nearly 200 goats, and finally make Allen's four-year-old business operation profitable.

"This is really kind of a big set back for us. And you know, it's going to make it hard this year," Allen explained.

But Allen said the goats aren't just animals. They're part of his family's daily lives. Many of them have names, including Zorro and Big Guy. He identified goats named Oreo and Cream among the missing.

Allen has searched a nearby auction, scoured Craiglist and posted flyers. But each day, he has returned empty handed.

He's even offering a reward because that's how much he wants to return Oreo, Cream and the rest of the missing goats to the remaining herd.

"I just don't think they realize how devastating it is to a small family business," said Allen.

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