‘Tink’ the baby goat: Will the kid get a new home in Lowell? City planners may decide on Wednesday

By DEAN REA/Correspondent/The Herald — Tink is a Nigerian dwarf goat.

Actually, she’s still a kid.

She was born in Dexter with a spinal deformity.

Tink now needs special long-term care.

Jessica and Tim Osborn are eager to provide that help.

But a conditional-use permit is required before Tink can move to Lowell and join the family, which includes three dogs.

Lowell’s three planning commission members are scheduled to consider the conditional-use permit request starting at 7 p.m. Wednesday at the Maggie Osgood Library.

Here’s what is called the “back story”:

Six weeks ago a goat gave birth to three kids. One suffered back and leg injuries during her birth.

Jessica, a yoga teacher and massage therapist, learned about the kid’s plight from a customer.

“I’m a sucker for animals,” Jessica confessed during an interview. Proof of that becomes apparent when you learn that she’s the “go-to person” when a dog is missing by reading the Fall Creek Neighborhood Watch website.

If someone picks up a stray, the dog is dropped off at Jessica’s house where it is kept until the owner is located rather than shipping the dog to the pound in Eugene.

So, Jessica’s reaction was no surprise when a customer mentioned the baby goat’s story.

The Osborns, who moved from California in 2015, wanted 10 acres but settled on .22 of an acre in Lowell. The city requires a half-acre in Tink’s case. So, the Osborns are turning to the planning commission for help.

Meanwhile, Tink was chosen as the kid’s name.

“I am a believer in magic,” Jessica confessed. Tinker Bell appears in one of her favorite magical stories.

So, Tink will take center stage at 7 p.m. Wednesday before Chairman Lon Dragt, Suzanne Kintzley and Mary Wallace, who will decide whether a Nigerian dwarf kid joins what Jessica calls “the other furry fugitives” where she and Tim reside.