lesson hopefully learned...(from a FB post, June 2021
Long post , sorry not sorry. Having owned and bred Goats for more years than I care to count I thought I had seen it all. Often times I have heard or read stories of how Goats are so difficult to keep, if you have them , then I’m sure you have heard these stories too or perhaps experienced it first hand. I’m not going to bore you with all my stories of hardship, loss and heartbreak but I do want to say that even a most seasoned Goat keeper,lover, shepherd has those events at least sometimes during the span of this hobby. First let me say that , I love Goats. Goats have taught me so much about true love, responsibility, determination and joy of living. Often times I hear they are determined to die, this I do not believe, nothing enjoys life like a happy, healthy Goat. To make a long story a bit shorter, the best advice I can give anyone with Goats is the advice I was given by a Horse trainer, “you must learn to think like a Horse”....in this case a Goat.in the day to day care of close to 50 Goats on our farm I find myself trying to think ahead of these intelligent, curious creatures, always overthinking and trying to avoid the mishaps that will inevitably happen at some point. Last night was one of those times when I let my haste and my brain slip up. Cleaning a stall , with pitchfork and wheelbarrow like a million times I found myself tired and thirsty from working my real job and this ever present one. Off to the house I go to care for myself a few moments. On my way up I look and see the newest kid headed up the hill , chasing after his dam, calling to her, happy , skipping and frolicking as baby goats do, how sweet I thought. I’m now not sure how long I was at the house not too long . I entered the barn again to finish the task, stopped in the doorway to admire the herd that had come in from the heat and flies to rest. One of the goats had used the wheelbarrow handles to scratch its back as I’ve seen many times but this time it toppled over with a full load and there beneath it was that adorable, happy little baby I had seen earlier climbing the hill to live a goat life. Like I said before goats have taught me lots, they taught me that I only have so much control over what happens in the world around me. Thankfully the little boy is still fighting this morning, he is up and nursing, but I’m not sure if he suffered internal injuries from the crushing weight, he has some head possibly brain swelling, his eye tissue is swollen but he is so much better than last night when I held him, treated him and prayed for him. My point of this long post is to give a new or seasoned goat herder the news that we all will make mistakes, we all at some point will let ourselves get careless in the care we give, even when “thinking like a goat” we will fail them. Life offers the chance to correct, learn, redo, and succeed. Don’t forget to love and enjoy our time blessed with Goats. Not looking for sympathy for me, only him, and hope that this post helps keep a herder from beating themselves up to long. The joy out numbers the heartaches.
