Lilie’s Strolls Ruffle New Neighbor : City Asked to Curb Popular Pet Goose

For the last seven years, residents of Onyx Circle have grown accustomed to the sight of neighbor Carol Shipley taking her pet goose, Lilie, on a walk around their cul-de-sac.

It’s a daily ritual that most people in the close-knit neighborhood find amusing.

“When I first moved here, I thought it was really funny because I couldn’t believe that anyone would walk a goose,” said Cindy Qualls, who lives two doors down from Shipley. “They look so cute walking down the street together.”

But a new neighbor who does not share the neighborhood’s affection for the 25-pound Toulouse goose has complained to the city--which threatens to end Lilie’s daily walks and dramatically change the bird’s lifestyle.

The city’s code enforcement department investigated the complaint this week and said city ordinances require Shipley to keep the goose in a covered pen at all times or risk having a criminal complaint filed against her.

“The goose should be penned up, not wandering around,” said Janet Jensen, the city’s code enforcement manager. “We really can’t do anything about the honking noise. . . . If she kept the goose in her house, we wouldn’t regulate it, so that might be the answer.”

The prospect of in any way confining her goose, who now roams the back yard and splashes in her pond, has left Shipley livid.

“I’ll fight it,” she said defiantly. “I’d go to jail before I’d lose her.”

The complaint came as a shock to Shipley, who also shares her home with husband Rick, son Rick Jr., two cats and dog Elvis. Shipley said the goose mingles with the family, watching TV and feasting on everything from dog food to corn on the cob.

Shipley, 42, got the tan, white-and-dark-brown goose in 1984 and has grown quite attached to the pet.

“I really wanted her because she didn’t have a mate, and geese have mates for life,” Shipley said. “I have been her mate for seven years, and we’ve never had a problem. If I had to release her, she would die. And, she’s never been in a pen before.”

When news of the complaint began to circulate around the neighborhood this week, residents rallied in support of Shipley and Lilie.

The neighbor who allegedly made the complaint was not available for comment.

“We have no problem with the goose at all,” said Phyllis Deleske, who has lived on the street for 30 years. “I think it’s a cute pet, and the kids around here just love it. She’s been around here for such a long time that it’s a shame that someone who just moved in would make such a stink about it.”

Shipley’s next-door neighbor, Dee Nichols, agreed.

“Lilie is a dream,” Nichols said. “The honking has never been a problem. I think the neighbor who complained is very out of line. This neighborhood has been one big happy family for many, many years. The kids in the neighborhood would be sick if they had to give Liliw up.”

“Every kid on the block knows Lilie,” Shipley added. “Most mornings, I’ll open up my door, and some of the kids will have left treats for her. She’s like a community mascot.”

Shipley said she is counting on the support of her neighbors when she challenges the ordinance before the City Council this month.

“Lilie is a member of the family, a part of my life and my heart,” she said.

Garden Grove Mayor W.E. (Walt) Donovan, who has been through his share of animal controversies while on the council, was sympathetic to Shipley’s situation.

“It’s always a problem,” Donovan said. “I think she probably should comply (with the law). It reminds me of a woman in the early 1970s who had a pet lamb. Well, eventually it became a sheep, and the complaints started.

“These things are always tough because people really love their animals.”