My Neighbor has Goats
My neighbor has goats. Enough said…..until you add in the peacocks, guinea fowl, geese, numerous barn cats, horse, etc., etc., etc.!! I think the 6 acre farm of which these animals reside is large enough to contain them, but goats, cats, and feathered fowl have a way of breaching the boundaries.
Our friend
Quite the nice silhouette
This late spring brought new kids to the goat family. As the kids grew, and horns became noticeable and imposing, my job with these cute little critters began. The squares of our wire fence line are big enough for a goat to stick their head through to taste the delicacies of the other side of the fence…our side. This is totally fine with me for a few different reasons, not the least of which is the control of poison oak, and black berry vines along the fence line…a real plus. The difficulty comes in as the goats and their horns grow, they find that putting their head through the fence is easy…backing out is another story. Those horns hook the wire, and the poor little goat gets stuck. There is a certain sound a goat makes when they are stuck. I am quite attuned to that sound now.
When I first hear the call for help nowadays, I hope that its liberator is quickly on their way…in the form of my neighbors. When the whaling goes on for a couple of hours, I have pretty much learned that help won’t be coming anytime soon for the little guy…or gal. Feigning the thoughts of trekking through poison oak, I can’t leave a goat stuck when it is calling for help. The goats know me by now…they don’t even flinch when I approach. I maneuver their head, lining up their horns…a little lift here, a little turn there and wallah…they are free. At first it takes them a moment to realize their freedom, then, like a lightning bolt, they bound away…only a few hops, then they stop…look at me, and bounce off. It makes the threat of contracting poison oak all worth it!
The goats horns have grown too big now to maneuver out, so recently, I have had to cut the fence to get them free. There are also bigger now, and when I push, they push back…at that point, they are immoveable. I have grown quite fond of my neighbor’s goats, and hope that a smaller mesh fencing to go right alongside the larger squared fencing is in my neighbor’s plans…somehow, I don’t think so….and on it goes!!
Let’s call him Einstein!
Yup…your stuck!
The now empty square!
Mama goat saying, “Thank you.”
Einstein back with the family!
Build Me a Dream 