Goats

Nugget is a pedigreed Angora goat who was a breeding ram at a commercial angora farm, until he came down with an infection of his brain. His prior owners are to be commended, as they nursed him through his illness and saved his life. However, upon recovery, it became apparent that he had been left with permanent neurological damage. He was unable to navigate the hilly, rocky environment of his farm without falling, and his slow, halting steps often left him trailing behind the rest of the herd, unable to get to food or shelter in time. His prior owners had heard about a newly opened, or soon to be opened, farm animal rescue and called me, asking if I would be willing to take on a special needs animal. I immediately agreed and Nugget came to my safe, flat, grassy pasture to live. In the time he has been here, some of his symptoms have improved! He still walks a little sideways, and his tail points to the side as well, but his limp has resolved and even in our slightly hilly front pasture, he is able to keep to his feet. He tends to sometimes bully the other goats, especially Fred, who I think reminds him of his own disabilities, and perhaps brings to mind that frightening time in his life.

Fred is a miniature fainting goat, purchased by a meat goat breeder looking to get into breeding for the pet market. However, she soon found that she could not keep little, fainting Fred in the pasture with her large meat goats, as he was bullied mercilessly by every other goat she had. Realizing her mistake, she called Safe Harbor, and Fred came to become a companion to Nugget. When he arrived, Fred was so traumatized that he “fainted” (a physiological response that they have no control over, but that does not cause them pain) many times a day, frightened of being hurt. Over time, his “faintiness” has abated, although he still sometimes locks up - a stiff-legged stance that is one step prior to a full faint - when he gets nervous. He is best friends with Johnny.

Johnny is a Nigerian dwarf goat, history totally unknown. We came home one day and found him tied with a rope to our Safe Harbor sign. We put up signs and asked around the neighborhood if anyone had lost a goat, but it was obvious to us that he had been deliberately dumped at the rescue. Johnny was clearly bottle raised by a human, as he is almost too friendly, rushing up to anyone he sees and bleating for attention. He is a patient soul with other animals though, and a good friend to Fred, whom he protects from Nugget’s occasional bullying.