Four-legged Folly

The herd keepers.

 

I've wanted goats since I was 10.  At the time, it was solely because someone told me that if I had goats, I'd never have to mow the yard again.  At the ripe old age of 10, I thought mowing the yard was the hardest thing ever, so goats were a no-brainer.  My love for goats has only grown (and become more realistic) since then.  Two years ago, my husband and I were able to sell our little starter home in the suburbs and move to the country.  We finally had enough room for chickens, goats, and maybe (someday) pigs!

 

My husband travels everyday for his work as an audio-visual technician and I am a teacher at an urban school.  Living out in the country means a longer daily commute, but I feel it is totally worth it.  I can't see anyone's house from my own and our nearest neighbors are a herd of cows.

 

Our son Cooper loves animals too, and I think he is mostly excited to get to play with baby goats.  He has shown an interest in showing goats (he lit up a bit when I talked about it, especially at the mention of possible cash prizes) and will be working with the goats to get them show ready.

 

Overseeing our daily goat activities are our dogs, Scooter and Sadie.  I don't think Scooter has stopped barking since we moved to the country.  There are always sneaky rabbits, nefarious squirrels, conniving raccoons, and the occassional stray cat to keep his hair on end.  I can't wait to see Scooter's reaction to the new additions on the homestead (from a safe distance, behind two fences, probably on a leash for good measure).

 

Scooter's thorough distrust for everything that moves in the woods has made him an effective watchdog for us and our other animals.  His big-dog-bark doesn't hurt either.  Last winter while snowed in at home (ah, the joys of country living) Scooter started barking and trying to climb out the closed window.  We got there in time to see a coyote running through the woods in the opposite direction.  Until we get our Livestock Guardian Dogs, we are counting on him to alert us to potential dangers and help keep the goats and chickens safe.

 

Also on the farm are two cats, Addy and Tesla.  Addy moved with us from our old house in the 'burbs and doesn't really understand the whole "everyone has a job" thing we've got going on.  Her self-appointed job is to weigh the couch down so it can't float away.  She likes to play with mice, and throw them up on my night stand at 2:00am.  So we got Tesla to handle the mice issue.  She hasn't disappointed.  We've been mouse-free since November 2014 thanks to her.  Tesla's also in charge of keeping little critters out of the feed and hay.  She loves her job.