They go where they want…

In my area many people have goats. They are generally guarded by at least one beautiful, white Great Pyrenees dog that watches over them. I’ve decided that if a baby goat would stay looking like a baby goat, dogs and cats would lose their place at the top of the preferred pet ladder. Even though there are breeds that are smaller than others, none of the goats I’ve ever seen were baby goat sized for long.

On the road I used to live, I walked in the evenings sometimes. There was a group of goats that lived along the way. I was able to admire the babies quite often. One day as I came through that path, the goats were loose. I was afraid they would wander out into the road and be run over. I stopped at the house to tell the man that his goats were running loose.

He came out on the porch very unconcerned about the whole matter. He said, “Do you see that big white one in the front?” I said, “Sure.” He continued in a slow even voice, “That one holds down the fence every morning. He holds it down until they all are out of the enclosure. Then they leave for their adventures.”

I said, “But I’ve seen them inside the fence many times.” He sort of chuckled and said, “Yes, because in the evenings, that big white one holds down the fence for all of them to get back inside. They go where they want, and they come home when they want. That is the way with goats.” He thanked me for my concern and went back inside his house.

I stood there for awhile just watching them. I guess the big white one (male) knew they could galavant around during the day, but needed to come home and be inside the fence at night. That was pretty smart for a goat at least.

I’ve never seen any of the goats that live on this road out of their fences or very far away from their guard dogs. There are coyotes in the area which would steal them if they had a chance. When there isn’t a car behind me, I slow down and watch them for a moment or two.

The cows, goats, deer, and other life on this country road make me happy. The goats remind me of people. They venture out and go where they please. A fence might slow them down, but doesn’t stop them. It protects them at night, but during the day all bets are off. Just like with people.

As the towns and apartment complexes are squeezing away the farmland, hay fields, and pastures, it is nice to know that a little bit of country still lives on my road.

09 Jul This entry was published on July 9, 2017 at 7:33 pm and is filed under American, Animals, At home, Green Living, Humor, Lessons from the past., Living/Style, musings, Nature, Nostalgia, Personal, Pets, Simple living, Uncategorized. Bookmark the permalink. Follow any comments here with the RSS feed for this post.