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50 Goats Seized From Seffner Home Are Recovering

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By KEITH MORELLI and JOSH POLTILOVE

The Tampa Tribune

Published: August 7, 2008

TAMPA - Fifty LaMancha goats, large and small, old and young, are enjoying lush green grass and once-a-day treats out of a feed bag.

The sun is hot, but there is some shade. Water is abundant, and the kids get daily medicine that tastes like butterscotch.

Things couldn't be much better for the herd, seized last week from conditions that were described as deplorable.

"There was no grass, not a green weed even," said Hillsborough County sheriff's Cpl. Bruce Harrell as he got ready to feed the goats. "They were literally skin and bones."

Goats milled around him, nuzzling for feed at a sheriff's compound in Lithia for abused, lost or seized livestock.

A week after investigators took 55 goats, 35 dogs and seven cats from a Seffner couple's property, the couple were charged with animal cruelty, Hillsborough deputies say, and the goats are making a steady comeback.

"I've looked through our records," said Harrell, who supervises the sheriff's agricultural unit and oversees the new livestock pen. "The most we've ever had at one time is eight."

The couple from whom the animals were seized are being investigated by the county's code enforcement inspectors, who gave them a week to fix more than 20 violations uncovered July 30.

Larry and Rae Lynn Smart were charged Tuesday with six counts of animal cruelty - one for each goat that needed to be euthanized and one for the herd overall, Harrell said.

Some of the surviving goats were so emaciated when they arrived that their bones could be seen through their skin, Harrell said. But a week later, most appeared to be on the mend.

Putting up the cloven-hoofed herd is not cheap, he said.

The first week alone, the goats cost about $1,100 to feed and medicate, Harrell said. They ultimately will cost the department about $4,500 to $5,000, roughly half the entire year's budget for animal upkeep, he said.

The goats will stay at the sheriff's agricultural pen for another three weeks, until they finish their medication. Then they will be separated into three or four groups and sold at public auctions.

Reporter Keith Morelli can be reached at (813) 259-7760 or kmorelli@tampatrib.com. Reporter Josh Poltilove can be reached at (813) 259-7691 or jpoltilove@tampatrib.com.

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