I have wanted a goat for a long time. Growing up, I had a pet goat named Billy. He was a full sized Billy Goat, and he wasn't exactly friendly...but I loved him anyways. He climbed on top of our car, ate the bark off our tree, and even tried to butt the front door in once. My mom was certain that someday we would come home and find him standing on our kitchen table. He died one winter, and I remember sitting in the house, looking out the window and crying while watching my dad and uncle carry his lifeless body out of the barn. Now, living on a farm, I have been begging David to let us get a goat, but he mostly just thought I was crazy. Well...he was out of town fishing, and I get a text from my mom saying that her neighbor had a baby goat who's mother had abandoned it, and she needed a family to take it and raise it, as they were not able to bottle fed it every few hours like it needed. My mom jumped on it, and before I knew it, Molly, a dwarf Tennessee fainting goat, was at our house. She was in pretty bad shape...she had goat lice, was born premature (she was two weeks old when she came to us), and she had not been on a steady feeding schedule. The kids instantly bonded with her, but soon enough, we found out she was very sick. We had issues with feeding her, and then she started having some sort of seizures where she would fall over and spaz out for hours at a time, unable to walk, often writhing in pain. Then suddenly, she would snap out of it and be just fine. I'm no goat expert, and I read up about everything online, but as far as I could tell, she was very sick, and when she would have these spells, we were certain she would die. The kids were broken hearted. They would just cry and cry. Russell kept praying so hard for Molly to be okay. It broke my heart. I eventually decided to call the Vet, and she was very nice in explaining that there wasn't a lot we could do about the seizures (or whatever they were). We took Molly in to get a few vaccinations and hoped for the best. We got her on a steady feeding schedule, and she started getting plenty of excercise chasing the kids around. Each day she got a little stronger, and finally, she has started gaining weight...and no more seizures! To say that our family adores Molly is an understatment. She is the funniest little goat, and she loves the kids so much. She follows them everywhere, and she is super playful. She jumps and runs around...it is just adorable how she plays and frolics. We just love Molly!
When Molly was very sick, Russell would just sit and hold her and cry...it broke my heart
May was also a good mother to Molly when she was sick
The kids had to be so brave when we took Molly to get her shots
Molly is getting healthier every day, and guess what...even David likes her! I have photos to prove it!
