Published: May 27, 2009 12:03 pm      

LA County says OK to couple's goats, llama, emu

LOS ANGELES — A Southern California couple will not be allowed to have 15 goats. They'll have to settle for 10 goats, two horses, a llama and an emu.

Roberto Alguero (all-GEH'-roe) and Iris Fiorito (fee-oh-REE'-toe) live in an unincorporated area near Claremont zoned for light agricultural use. They had originally asked for a permit to keep 15 goats, but Los Angeles County's planning commission granted them a permit allowing them 10, along with the rest of their menagerie.

Neighbors filed objections complaining of the noise and stench at the farm-like house, but the Board of Supervisors ruled Tuesday that the couple could keep the animals, provided they build a 6-foot wall and keep male and female goats separate.

Fiorito concedes that "we know we have a few more goats than we should."