The OLS Goat Herd
Since opening our sanctuary, we’ve been lucky enough to develop a wonderful herd of goats. Goats are social, and happiest when part of a herd. They’re not picky about who is in their herd, just that they can help ward off predators. The goats who live on the sanctuary land will include humans in their herd, and follow us on evening walks through the fields. Read on to find out more about the goats we live with…
Daisy
A backyard rancher raising goats for meat allowed us to rescue Daisy. We can tell she wasn’t treated well because she doesn’t want to be touched by people, even her regular caretakers. She will approach us to see if we have any snacks for her, but she doesn’t want any interaction beyond that. We are happy to let her live out her life here, where she is free to roam with her herd all day and doesn’t need to endure any unwanted human attention.
Approximate Birthdate: 8/1/19
Arrived Home: 1/1/20
Violet & Cobalt
We were lucky enough to rescue the adorable Violet and her son, Cobalt, from a petting zoo. Both goats are shy around people and didn’t like the unwanted attention they were receiving at the petting zoo. Petting zoos, as well as meat and dairy farms, painfully use a hot iron or caustic paste on goats when they are only a few days old so they don’t grow horns. This causes life long problems with for the goats as they sometimes grow a partial horn, which is painful when breaking through the scarring. Also, it is hard for them to defend themselves when a goat with horns head butts them as a challenge or to keep them away from food. Cobalt was neutered at the petting zoo with the banding method, where a small rubber band is placed around the scrotum. This is also a painful practice that last for weeks while the tissue dies and falls off. Violet and Cobalt are sweet and sensitive. They have friends within our herd, and have gotten more comfortable around the people they trust.
Violet’s Approximate Birthdate: 6/1/19
Cobalt’s Approximate Birthdate: 1/1/20
Arrived Home: 4/1/20
Paisley & Emma
Emma was rescued from a Rio Vista meat farm by a kind person and was very nervous at first. Emma was already pregnant when she was rescued and soon gave birth to Paisley. The caretaker saw that Paisley was very sick but was able to nurse her back to health. Paisley grew up to be significantly larger than her mother! The neighbors eventually complained about the goats, so their person reached out to us to take them. Emma is very sweet and gentle and has the cutest little legs! When our previous herd leader, Petal, passed away, Paisley was very quick to step into the leader role. She is a great protector of the herd, and isn’t shy about using her horns to move people and goats out of her way. She loves to be brushed though, and keeps her horns to herself when the brush comes out!
Emma’s Approximate Birthdate: 4/1/17
Paisley’s Approximate Birthdate: 3/1/18
Arrived Home: 6/1/20
Phil
Phil was rescued by Animal Liberation Temple from a farmer who thought he was too aggressive. Phil was being feed a poor diet and had his horns removed in the most inhumane way possible, so it’s understandable if Phil didn’t like the farmer. We have never experienced any aggression from Phil. He is one of the sweetest, most gentle and social goats we’ve ever met. When the brushes come out, Phil is always first in line and stays close by when his turn is over, hoping to be brushed again or encouraging people to pet him with their free hand while they’re brushing someone else!
Approximate Birthdate: 9/1/20
Arrived Home: 2/10/22
Matt
Matt was rescued by Animal Liberation Temple when he was only one week old. A dairy farmer had a change of heart after killing Matt's mother for poor milk production and decided not to sell Matt for food. Our goats were happy to welcome Matt into their herd when Animal Liberation Temple moved onto our land. It’s hard to tell whether Matt likes goats or people more!
Approximate Birthdate: 3/1/21
Arrived Home: 2/10/22
Rob
Rob was rescued from the meat industry. He now gets to live out his life free from fear. It is a joy to watch Rob in his daily routine of climbing, exploring, playing on the seesaw and giving and receiving love! He was still very young when he came to live with us and is very sensitive and talkative. Rob is kind and caring with all of his herd mates and is usually one of the first ones to run up and greet people.
Approximate Birthdate: 11/1/21
Arrived Home: 3/4/22
Bunny & Stitch
Stitch was going to be slaughtered because her milk production declined. She also has arthritis in her front legs. Stitch is now treated like a friend rather than the creator of a product. We were lucky enough to rescue Bunny at the same time to save her from a life of exploitation. These girls are Nigerian dwarfs, so they are smaller than most of our goats, but they fit in pretty quickly with the rest of the herd. They are very social with people and Bunny loves to play and explore.
Bunny’s Approximate Birthdate: 5/29/22
Stitch’s Approximate Birthdate: 8/29/15
Arrived Home: 8/29/22
Lilo
If you haven’t already guessed, Lilo was rescued along with Stitch and Bunny. She was also going to be slaughtered because her milk production declined. We are happy we could save her life and will let her enjoy her golden years at the sanctuary among friends.
Approximate Birthdate: 8/29/15
Arrived Home: 8/29/22
Some of our more adventurous (or naughty) goats like to squeeze under a fence and get on the barn roof!
Daisy shows off her amazing balance!
Rob drives the Bobcat while Matt, Paisley, Emma and Cobalt help with the stones! Ha!
Daisy prefers the top bunk, and Paisley and Emma enjoy snuggling together on the bottom bunk!
Cobalt and Emma try to see if Violet left any room in the bucket for them!
Rob loves the seesaw! When the other goats don't want to join him up there, volunteers are happy to step in to play with him.
Lilo, Stitch and Bunny are inseparable!
Some times the goats take a break from exploring the hills and come to the barn to visit us!