My goats are not like other people's goats. I've come to accept this fact. Here's what I think, though. If you are stuck with time-consuming, money-sucking pets who have absolutely no useful purpose, you might as well find ways to enjoy them.
Every morning I send Emerson and Ellie on a treasure hunt around their yard. This is how it works. While they eat their breakfast on the deck, I hide several locust seed pods (their favorite crunchy snack) in strategic locations around the yard. When I bring them back down to their pen, they wolf down a bowl of apple chunks, then look up at me expectantly. At my command - "Pods!!" - they're off, each goat eagerly finding his own trail of treats. Emerson knows to start at the yellow slide, then move to the wooden bench, the green cube chair and the picnic table. Ellie takes the right-hand path, from his platform (see Batgoat) to the fence, the yellow cube and the small picnic table. Each goat knows his assigned "stations" and I have never seen them try to steal from each other. After crunching down the last pods, they come stand beside me and "water" the grass, knowing I will praise them - "Good peepee, Emer! Good peepee, Ellie!"
With neutered male goats, urinary health is critical. Make them drink, make them pee. Recently I've discovered something to make them drink even more - animal crackers. If I give the goats each a few of these dry, crumbly treats before pouring their water, they'll guzzle the bowl dry - like when you eat popcorn during a movie and then crave another soda. It's all about routine - but now unfortunately Em and Ellie turn away from any water that isn't warmed, spiked with apple cider vinegar, in the preferred bowls, and preceded by animal crackers.
Last night I dreamed that my husband took the goats to a local animal rescue while I was at work, trading them for a pair of black and white dogs and hoping I wouldn't notice the difference. At first I thought it was a nightmare. I wonder, though...
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