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“We don’t usually get a lot of complaints about noise,” Scott said. “Nobody’s saying there’s too much mooing going on.”

Koch said no one has yet complained to him about his sheep. In fact, sometimes strangers ring his doorbell and ask to pet them and pose with them.

Sheep are not the only animals that have lived in his yard near Ellerslie Road over the years. Since the 1960s, when his family first bought the property, it has been home to cows, chickens, llamas, goats, rabbits and pigs.

I know all my neighbours and there are very few people in this world who can say that. They all love to see the sheep

Several llamas escaped once and the pigs gave him grief — “They were monsters that climbed over everything,” he says — but the sheep have always been a success.

Koch earns a few thousand dollars every year from the lambs he sells, but insists he’s not raising sheep for financial reasons. He’s a computer programmer by trade.

The sheep have made him popular with neighbours young and old; a dozen of them ask for regular visits, he said.

As a result, “I know all my neighbours,” he said, “and there are very few people in this world who can say that.”

“They all love to see the sheep.”

Ward 12 Coun. Amarjeet Sohi said he was gathering information on the matter.

“Once that information is gathered, I will initiate some conversations to see how this issue can be resolved,” he said Wednesday.

Scott said Koch has options. He could request a zoning bylaw change or work with the city to find alternate accommodations for the sheep.

“The intention is not to go in and throw a bunch of fines on him,” Scott said. “If he needs help, we can make sure the animals are rehoused. He needs to make sure he is compliant with the bylaw.”

Koch said his answering machine has already been flooded with messages from people (farmers, mostly) begging to take the sheep off his hands.

“Most of these guys could become food for other people,” he said reluctantly.

He’s not yet ready to say goodbye to his sheep, some of whom have names, including Sniper, Pail Tipper and Moocher.

“They all have their little personalities,” he said. “They all love me.”