The Little Lost Goat - A Children's Story

Once upon a time, there was two sister goats who lived in a herd of goats in a big pasture with a lovely red barn. Their owner, a kindly lady, would come out every morning and give them delightful things to eat.

One day, a new person came to the farm and looked at all of the goats. The sister goats were shy and hid behind their older friends, but it wasn't enough. They were picked out from all of the other goats and loaded into a strange truck.

One sister, a red and white little goat with long ears, said sadly to her sister, "We're surely going somewhere strange."

The other sister, a gold goat with tiny ears said, "We are going to a new home indeed."

The sister goats didn't much like leaving their herd and pasture and little red barn. They especially did not like leaving their kindly owner. However, they knew from their older goat companions that sometimes goats went to new homes. It was just the way things were.

They arrived at their new home and were put into a little pen. Stranger goats came up to the fence and demanded to know who they were. Giant strange creatures with long noses and hairy tales and solid hooves snorted suspiciously. The sisters cowered against the other side of the pen, so sad they were to be in this unfamiliar place.

The red goat hung her head and maa'ed, "Oh Yumi my friend, we are not in our nice pasture anymore."

Yumi, the gold sister, shook her head, "No we are not, Gypsy. But we don't have to stay here."

Gypsy looked at her sister in surprise, unsure of what she meant.

Yumi jumped onto a little house and proclaimed, "We will have babies in the spring, this much I know. Let's get out of here and see the world, instead of being stuck in this strange place."

And with that, she leaps over the fence and into freedom!

Gypsy perked up her long ears and scrambled to follow her sister. They stood in the yard for a long moment, then turned their noses to the wind and ran, their long legs bouncing through the short grass.

"Where . . . oh where shall we go?" Gypsy exclaimed.

Yumi flicked her goat tail, "Follow me. We shall have many adventures."

They ran and ran, almost a whole mile. Here there was a long road and strange houses. They were standing, deciding which way to go, when suddenly some strange dogs ran out, barking at them!

They cried out in fright and sprang to run, going across the road. The dogs were very big and mean, not at all like the dogs at their original home. Yumi and Gypsy became seperated, and the dogs chased poor Gypsy and trapped her within a little garage.

Yumi hid in the woods, trembling, and watched in horror, certain that her sister would be eaten alive in front of her eyes. But luck was with little Gypsy this day. A man came out and rescued her and carried her away to a little pen where she was safe from the big dogs.

Gypsy cried for her sister, but Yumi was too afraid to go close; the dogs were still there and very scary.

She hid in the wooods for some time, finally falling asleep under the leaves.

She was awoken by more barking! The dogs had found her and were coming for her again!

Yumi jumped up and raced away, heart beating fearfully hard, afraid at any moment to be caught by the big mean dogs and bitten.

She ran and ran and ran without looking back. She crossed roads and ran past houses. She did not stop until it began to rain. Once the rain came, Yumi found a bush to hide under, breathing hard and looking around. The dogs had gone and she was safe . . . for now.

She was getting terribly wet from the rain, and she hated it. She missed her nice red barn. Even the little house in her new home would have kept the rain out of her fur. And her poor sister! Yumi hoped that she was staying safe out of the rain. What would happen to her?

It rained for much of the night and part of the next day, so Yumi stayed under the bush and tried to sleep.

The sun finally peeked out again, and Yumi ventured out and nibbled on some leaves. To explore the world, you had to stay strong and eat well. She wandered here and there, looking for the best plants to eat.

It was nearing nightfall when she stumbled across some wild pigs feeding on acorns in the woods. They snorted angrily at her, and one large one even chased her! Running away, Yumi exclaimed in dismay, "Oh, how cruel this world can be!"

Suddenly the little pen with the little house didn't seem so bad after all. Yumi galloped across a wide road, narrowly being missed by a loud vehicle, then stopped on the other side, shivering. She very much wished she could return home, or even to her new home, but she did not know which way to go.

She picked a direction in the hopes of being right, and walked that way.

She walked and walked for many days, stopping here and there to find good things to eat, or a sheltered place to sleep. She was alone and frightened. What would happen to her babies if she never found home again? Would she ever see her poor sister?

Yumi lost count of the days and nights she wandered about, going steadily in one direction. It rained several more nights, and often she found herself soaked through the fur and shivering. Never before had she suffered so, and she was terribly afraid of catching a cold. Who would take care of her if she was sick?

Then came the worst night of Yumi's life. She was hiding under a little tree, exhausted from a day's travel, when she heard a frighting noise. It sounded much like dogs, but she could smell something that made her very bones tremble. She shrank as much as she could, holding as still as possible. What new horror could this be?

The strange dog-like creatures walked by, tan colored fur thick against the cold. There were three, much larger than Yumi and smelling of the Wild unlike anything she had ever experienced before. She dared not make a single peep, for if they discovered her, she was certain it would be her demise at long last.

The coyotes, for surely that was what these creatures must be, continued on their way. By some miracle, they had not scented poor tiny Yumi on the wind, and she had not moved or made a single sound. She escaped their clutches, but how long could her good luck last?

Yumi knew now that she would never find her home on her own. She had to seek out help. But who could she trust?

It was early morning when Yumi finally ventured out of hiding and approached some tiny people, children, playing in a yard. She put on her friendliest face and maa'ed at them, "Please help me, I am lost!"

The children petted her, and she closed her eyes with happiness. How wonderful it was to find such kindness! They said many things to each other, and then brought old an older person, who picked her up and placed her with some chickens. She gazed through the fence at him imploringly, and was rewarded with a handful of grain.

She bleated her thanks. "Please, please help me find my way home!" she begged.

Night came and went, and the gentle man gave her more feed, which was very good to feel in her stomach. The chickens were interesting, but said nothing that made sense to her. How sorely she missed her sister and other goats.

Suddenly, her tiny ears caught a familiar sound and she ran to the fence. Could it be true? Was that really her new owner, who had taken her to the new home? It was!

The new owner patted her gently and put a rope around her neck, then placed her in the same truck she had rode in before to go to her new home. Yumi's heart swelled with joy, and she called out, "Thank you, thank you!"

It was quite a long ride home! Yumi marveled at how far she had come, obviously in the wrong direction. When her new home came into sight, her little legs trembled. Oh how wonderful it was to see now. It may not be her home pasture and little red barn, but it was her new home, to be appreciated now in a way she could not before.

Yumi's new owner carried to back to the little pen, and she yelped in joy as she spotted none other than her sister!

"Yumi, Yumi is that really you?" Gypsy hopped up against the fence for a better look.

"Gypsy, I'm so glad you're here!" Yumi was set down on the ground and she ran to her sister, sniffing her long ears with happiness.

Gypsy danced a little goat jig and exclaimed, "We never thought we would see you again! Our owners have been terribly sad, searching and searching for you!"

Yumi looked a little embarrassed, and shuffled her hooves, "How did you get back home, sister dear?"

"The man who saved me from the dogs must have brought our new owner over to see me, and she brought me back home. It's much better here, safe from dogs and the rain, and the goats here really are quite nice. Even the ponies are okay. There is good food and much room to run. It is a good place."

Yum lowered her head and said softly, "I agree. It was foolish to run away. I am grateful to be here now, and I hope our babies love and appreciate it too, when it is time for them to be born."

The two sisters slept together that night, and every night afterward, content in their new home.

Adventure Goat

Yumi has been FOUND!

Can you believe it? She went missing nearly three weeks ago. I had honestly given up all hope of finding her, had spent hours searching, putting up posters, posting online. There are so many coyotes, stray dogs, wild pigs, and of course, the dangers of people themselves. I felt that surely Yumi had fallen victim to one thing or another and was terribly sad.

So imagine my surprise when I got a phone call this morning telling me they think they have my goat!

She apparently came up and tried to play with an older man's grandchildren over the weekend.

He caught her and penned her up with his chickens, unsure of where she came from. He saw my poster at the Post Office this morning and gave me a call.

She was found over *ten* miles away. Astonishing. Especially for a goat, since goats don't tend to wander far. I wish she could tell me all about it!

She appears to be in fairly good health and unhurt. I've put her with her sister and she settled right in, eating hay and snoozing in the sun. I wonder how her adventure will affect her pregnancy, but I suppose we will find out in the spring. She is due March/April. I hope, being so early on in her pregnancy, she will not abort, but it's always possible of course.

On another note, I have been featured on Fugly Horse of the Day. I submitted several posts, and currently two of my most offensive horse slaughter related posts are being discussed. I'm certain the more rabid followers of FHOTD will have themselves twisted into knots over it, so I'm sure the comments will be fun for all of you to read! I personally may not read the comments past what I have already peeked at, for I have no interest in reading ignorant insults.

Have a great week everyone!

Lost and One Found

So, as a follow up to my last post . . .

One doe has been found!

It turns out, the silly creatures went at LEAST a mile that very first night. The red doe, pictured on this post, got herself pinned in a shed by dogs. The dog owners rescued her and penned her up.

They finally asked at the local feed store, where I had left my information, then called me. I'm glad I thought of that. So the goat, newly named Gypsy, has come home.

Her escape route has been blocked and she has stayed in the pen. Since she no longer has her sister Yumi, I gave her April as a companion and she seems to be settling down now. She appears to be in good shape, except a little thin from stress. She's a bit shy as well, but runs right to me if she thinks I have something yummy, and will allow me to pet and handle her.

She's pregnant, due in February. I'm fairly sure I felt some kids in there! And she has begun to grow her udder. So she'll be the first one here to kid. Since her kids will be purebred and unrelated to any bucks I currently use, I may retain a doeling. You can see the buck she is bred to on the breeding schedule of our website.

We still have hope that we might find Yumi, but as each day goes by, the likelihood decreases. At this point we're just calling around and leaving the information where ever seems hopeful. You never know what might help.

The support from the community has been great, thanks guys. It's a good reminder of what a great group of online friends I have. And it's nice to make new friends. The breeder of these does is a great example of what I might be in 25 years! She's been hugely helpful, helping me search and calling around as well. She brought me some goat meat and is butchering a turkey for me as well. She also found someone with rabbits who needs to do a cull, so I will have some nice rabbits to butcher here soon.

In this world, banding together is the only way some families will make it. Put aside material items and remember the REAL needs in life!

Lost and Not Yet Found

I must be the only person in the world whose paychecks run away.

Seriously though, I have lost two goats. Wednesday morning, I went over to my friend and client's home to pick out a goat. This goat was to be in payment for the renewal of her website hosting (Honey Doe Farm). I was really interested in adding a La Mancha cross, to bring in some milk.

We had a great time chatting and looking at her beautiful herd, and then I picked a lovely golden doe with elf ears that is bred back to a Nigerian buck.

After more chatting, she offered me another Nigerian doe, since she was trying to cut down on her mini herd. Excited, I picked out a rich red doe with white markings, as I would *love* to add that color into my herd. She is bred back to the same Nigerian.

I was well pleased and we chatted a while longer and I took the two lovelies home. I set them up in the Quarantine pen and left them hay and water. Later that afternoon I decided to have a bit of a nap. My husband checked on the new girls before he left. But I woke up several hours to silence . . . no yelling crying goats.

Sure enough, the silly buggers were gone. No doubt they jumped out using the little shelter which I had foolishly left too close to the fence. After that, who knows where they went.

I spent hours searching, but it was pitch black. My husband came home around midnight and searched as well. The next morning the breeder came over with her husband and we searched with one of their working dogs. No luck.

I went out later on horseback, still no luck. I came home and put in a call to the Livestock Officer in our area, leaving a description. I did the same with the local feedstores. I've put up a notice at the Post Office and spoken with as many neighbors as I can. Thankfully, if they're spotted, MOST of the locals will know they likely come from the "crazy goat chick in pajamas on the corner."

I am exhausted. I've been out almost constantly, searching. It poured rain last night and I hope they had somewhere to get out of the weather. I pray nothing has gotten hold of them. I actually hope someone managed to lure them into a pen and have them locked up, not sure where they came from.

My art commissions stalled these last few days, but I'm going to try and get back to work on them; the last thing I want to do is get backed up. My online friends have suffered as well, since I've either been outside searching or sleeping. Sorry guys!

These are valuable does. These represent a huge loss for me if they aren't found. But even if they had been free goats, I'd be out there searching. The idea of them being frightened and lost somewhere breaks my heart.

I will keep you guys updated. The breeder is coming back out on Sunday to help me search again. She's also bringing me some cabrito (goat meat) so look forward to a recipe blog on that. More people should be eating goat.