GREY FOREST, Texas – The City of Grey Forest may force a family to get rid of their beloved longhorns.
Chandler Baker said his parents have owned the cows for around eight years.
Neighbors often come visit Stella, Sienna and Sevona and give them treats.
“People love them,” he said.
Baker’s 3-year-old daughter has grown up with the cows.
“I have pictures of her going from super, super tiny, to you know, I’m planning on having her show them,” he said.
But there’s a chance that won’t happen.
On Aug. 4, the City of Grey Forest sent Baker a letter notifying his parents of a violation of a subsection of a city ordinance.
The letter said the Bakers had to submit a completed permit application for the livestock by Aug. 14.
If they don’t, the letter said the Bakers could be fined up to $500 a day or the longhorns could be seized.
Baker said their application was denied over the phone.
According to a different part of the ordinance, land owners need to have at least three acres for three longhorns. The Bakers have four acres.
“We’re sitting here not having the full understanding of why this is even going on,” Baker said.
Debbie Swisher, a neighbor, said she and her other neighbors don’t mind the longhorns.
“They bring smiles to the people who stop and visit them,” Swisher said.
The City of Grey Forest’s attorney, Austin Beck, has not returned calls from KSAT seeking comment.
Grey Forest Mayor Amanda Waldrop refused repeated interview requests for this story.
In an email, Waldrop wrote that the city was “contacted with a number of complaints & concerns regarding violations to city ordinances, ecological impact, animal welfare worries, & possible breaches to state laws.”
When asked about what laws the Bakers could possibly be violating, Waldrop declined to answer, citing an “effort to protect the livestock owners, citizens of Grey Forest, & the animals themselves.”
“Makes it sound like we’re criminals,” Baker said. “We want the best for these cows, more than anybody else. They’re our pets, they’re our friends.”
Baker said he has until Sept. 1 to figure out to do with the longhorns and how to break the news to his daughter.
“We just want to keep our cows,” he said. “I want to keep my daughter’s friends, I want to keep the moo-moos. I don’t understand why now it’s become the hot topic.”
KSAT filed a records request with the City of Grey Forest for any complaints filed against the Bakers. It has not been fulfilled yet.
The Bexar County Sheriff’s Office, which now oversees all police patrol duties in the city, said they have not investigated any complaints at the Baker’s property.