Watching the watch dogs

So I've been watching the LGDs and it seems like they have a pretty good gig. Look how exhausting their work is. It makes me wonder if there are watch goats somewhere out there in the big world. We have a few candidates here, as long as they can chew their cud while they're "working".

Now here they are separated because one of them, Dakota I think, (all dogs look the same to me) crawled up the gate and jumped over to the other pen to check on some goats and now they seem to be discussing the pros and cons of dividing to conquer or sticking together for this shift.

Danger, danger, Dakota to the rescue! Ok, I guess they do a bit more than just lie around "watching".

I am not sure how it will work out when the ladies start kidding. They can be a bit crazy about protecting their kids from everything. Hopefully by then they will know the LGDs are protectors too.

Anyway, back to me. It is time to start breeding and h-mom has given me a group of 5 ladies for now, but no one is in the mood for love. I don't know what is wrong with them, I mean I perfumed up real good and I've been singing my warbling song but their not seeming to appreciate my efforts. Maybe they are just a bit shy, after all the LGDs are always watching.

Whatever the reason, they are going to have to romance me when they get in the mood and I just might not be interested, well that's not true, but don't tell them!

So far, so good............

Well another day dawns at Happy Goats Ranch. H-mom and h-pop have been working hard on fencing in the 5 acre pasture. They even had some help from their friends and family last weekend and it is down to the last 150 feet to go so they were up at the crack of dawn today to get it finished before it gets too hot. Most of us are not early risers as you can see.

In fact, Sadie and Dakota are the only ones up but that will change when h-mom comes out.

Ah yes, the spice girls are up and ready to get out of their nighttime pen.



Now there is some action, everygoat is ready to get out for a day of supreme browsing.

After letting us out for the day, the humans are off to finish the fence .... 3 hours later and voila, the fence is complete!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

My group, me, Dudley, Studley, Molly, Genie, Misha, Dixie and Nina are in the newly fenced pasture. There is more browse than you can shake a hoof at and a stock pond for fresh water too. Tomorrow Nate's group will get to come out here and we'll take turns as long as breeding is going on. I was beginning to doubt if the humans would ever get the fence completed, but I guess I underestimated them. Thanks h-mom, h-pop, Keith, Van, Tony and Tashia for all the hard work to make our home even happier than before.

Dakota and Sadie - LGDs

In response to Terry's untimely demise, h-mom has introduced 2 more dogs to the ranch. The new ones aren't quite like the humans pet dogs, these live with us and h-mom explained they are here to protect us. I can get on board with that, but they really look pretty scary and I wonder who or what is going to protect us from them??

They have been here a few days and I have been surprised at how they behave. Goats that will send the "pet" dog flying have just accepted the LGDs and often I find them all lying together in the shade. They are just kids (ha ha) 5 months old but they are very calm and quiet around all of us and lay around all day, but as evening approaches they get more active and start walking around the fence lines.

They do play and roughhouse with each other, but not with any goats, thankfully. Honestly, I wasn't too sure about them in the beginning, but when they hear anything at night they sure do bark to try to scare it away from us, so I think I can get used to them.

So far they have saved us from a barn cat, and I have a picture to prove it. This very ferocious 6 month old kitten has been in the tree all night and half of a day. They aren't barking at him, but if he makes a move to get down, boom they are there.

So hopefully these dogs will put themselves between any predators and me, I mean the herd and we will not have anymore tragedies.

tragedy strikes

It is a sad day at Happy Goats Ranch. A predator killed one of us 2 nights ago, right in the same pen I live in. Terry was a 6 month old buck kid that has been living with my group since he was weaned. RIP Terry!

Of course, as predators do (they are cowardly) it went for the youngest and smallest in the group and there was nothing I or any other goat could do but get the heck out of the way. None of the 4, count them 4 "pet" dogs even barked!

And to make it all the worse, h-mom left that morning before sunrise to take her mom to the hospital to see her step-dad and didn't return until 3:00 pm and little Terry's body was just laying there all day. It was quite unpleasant for all of us.

When h-mom got home, she immediately saw the problem and at least let me and the others into another pen until h-pop could remove little Terry's body. Then they searched the fence lines to find where the predator got in and sure enough, they found where it had dug under the fence.

H-mom moved my group up closer to the house and isn't putting any goats in that place at night anymore.

Death of the "volunteer" pumpkin plant

The picture isn't too clear, but if you look closely there is a small pumpkin with its vine severed from the plant.

This wasn't completely unexpected because h-mom likes to let the "Spice" girls into that pen at night so they feel safe from the older does. This caused a bit of a logistic problem because breeding season is starting for Nate and that is the pen usually used for breeding. H-mom decided her backyard would have to substitute for the breeding pen and the pumpkin plant was growing on the fence between these two areas so the risk was high.

On the left is Bridgette, she is in with Nate and Cinnamon is one of the Spice girls. Between the two of them and the help of others the pumpkin plant is doomed.

Enough about that, let me introduce the "Spice" girls. They joined our herd last Friday and are very nice looking ladies. They are all 8 months old and half sisters. They were FFA show goats and lived together without any other goats before they moved here, so it was a bit overwhelming for them to meet 12 other does, all older and bossier than them but they have adjusted well. As I mentioned before, they have a place by themselves at night until they get as bossy as the other does. :o)

The black and white one is Pepper, the tan and white in Cinnamon and the red and white is Spice.

They are very pretty and sweet and fit in well as far as being friendly with humans and enjoying a good back scratch, but they are still figuring out how to be in a larger herd. Just a matter a few weeks I bet, before they figure out how to assert themselves with other goats.

witness protection program???

I have decided to leave the pumpkin mystery to the humans. Once it became known amongst the suspects that I was investigating it became very uncomfortable around here for me. I have been ganged up on and battered by some of the unnamed suspects so I am officially retiring.
But if I was going to name a culprit, it might start with a B and end with a G and should have a wide load sign attached.

So it is endlessly hot here and will be for a few more months. Yesterday 105, and 108 today and tomorrow. Everygoat is just looking for some shade, preferably with some tasty vines in it. The grass is getting crunchy and brown, but the leaves and vines are still green.

Yesterday the humans brought home 3 more goat ladies. Young, and very beautiful. I can't wait to meet them up close but that must wait until breeding time. It's almost too hot to even think about breeding, but not quite. :o)