Post by mogal on Jun 13, 2020 10:11:41 GMT
Dallas is our 6 y/o Nubian buck. He's a tiny fellow weighing roughly 250-275#, withers a bit above waist high on me and I'm about 5'6" in my barn boots. The breeder named all her kids that year for NFL teams or the cities where they are. The mother/daughter pair spend a lot of time socializing their kids so he is just puppy-dog gentle even during breeding season. He's trained to lead, stands tied for treatment fairly well although an ace at evasion tactics and loves attention. We've owned/leased bucks over the years that have "kill the human" attitudes so Dallas is a delight.
Anyway, last weekend he was "off" and my usual remedies weren't working. I got in touch with a vet in the next town and they saw him early Thursday morning. We have a sweet spot in our driveway where if you can get the back tires of your vehicle into it, the tail gate is much lower due to the incline. DH and I were able to boost him into the truck, no problems and off we go. It took some time for the vet to see us. All the while, Dallas' eyes were huge at the noise of the trucks. I led him around the edge of the woods to keep him occupied and distracted. No problems. We tethered him to the vet's portable chute and pushed him against it while the vet gave him some injections. No problems. When it was time to come home, we had no sweet spot. BIG problem. He was having none of our boosting him into the truck as we had before.
Then DH noticed a vacant house beside the clinic, part of the property. Access to the back door was steps leading to a concrete landing that was about the same height as the truck bed. After positioning the truck close to that landing, I led Dallas to the steps. Never has this goat seen steps. He followed me right up them, onto the platform, quick right turn and into the truck bed. I stepped back onto the landing, DH closed the tailgate then the hatch of the topper. Couldn't have gone slicker if we'd practiced steps for weeks at home.
When we got home, he must have known immediately where he was. We took a leisurely stroll around the yard where he nibbled forage in an area we leave a little wild. I guess it's home sweet home even if your home is a stall in the barn with a big run attached.
At one point, I left Dallas with DH and went back to the edge of the woods to get some seedling jewelweed (with permission). He tried to follow me and started calling to me. Such trust!
Anyway, last weekend he was "off" and my usual remedies weren't working. I got in touch with a vet in the next town and they saw him early Thursday morning. We have a sweet spot in our driveway where if you can get the back tires of your vehicle into it, the tail gate is much lower due to the incline. DH and I were able to boost him into the truck, no problems and off we go. It took some time for the vet to see us. All the while, Dallas' eyes were huge at the noise of the trucks. I led him around the edge of the woods to keep him occupied and distracted. No problems. We tethered him to the vet's portable chute and pushed him against it while the vet gave him some injections. No problems. When it was time to come home, we had no sweet spot. BIG problem. He was having none of our boosting him into the truck as we had before.
Then DH noticed a vacant house beside the clinic, part of the property. Access to the back door was steps leading to a concrete landing that was about the same height as the truck bed. After positioning the truck close to that landing, I led Dallas to the steps. Never has this goat seen steps. He followed me right up them, onto the platform, quick right turn and into the truck bed. I stepped back onto the landing, DH closed the tailgate then the hatch of the topper. Couldn't have gone slicker if we'd practiced steps for weeks at home.
When we got home, he must have known immediately where he was. We took a leisurely stroll around the yard where he nibbled forage in an area we leave a little wild. I guess it's home sweet home even if your home is a stall in the barn with a big run attached.
At one point, I left Dallas with DH and went back to the edge of the woods to get some seedling jewelweed (with permission). He tried to follow me and started calling to me. Such trust!
