Greg Sheehan of Kirkland speaks affectionately about his Nigerian dwarf goats, Ben and Cooter. “These are my boys, not unlike any two 5-year old brothers. I refer to myself as the ‘old goat’ and Benny and Cooter, the ‘two young goats,’” he says.
Sheehan and his “boys” recently won eight ribbons in the Goatalympics held July 9 at Evergreen State Fairgrounds. When Sheehan first heard about this event, he decided right away that his goats would participate.
The competition was the brainchild of a Ellen Felsenthal who rescues, rehabilitates and tries to find families to adopt animals no longer wanted, Sheehan said. More than 40 events were held throughout the day to raise funds for New Moon Goat Rescue and Sanctuary.
According to Sheehan, “On the day of the event, you just hope they will bring their best game.” He notes that his goats are “very oriented to a structured routine so when we took them by truck to the event, they were not too happy and wondering, what is this about?
“When we arrived, most all the animals were nervous, making a lot of noise; my little guys were just so tired. I thought, ‘Oh boy, this was a long day for them,’ but then they performed flawlessly.”
Cooter, said Sheehan, can solve math problems. Benny will shake hands and they both know how to bow to the audience and stand up tall.
Cooter took first place overall in the “Tricks” event and Benny took second in the ‘Prettiest Eyes’ event. (Blue eyes are considered rare as most goats have brown eyes.) Sheehan and Benny took second place in the “Look-Alike” contest. When asked if he thought he looked like a goat, Sheehan just smiles and says, “Well, I have gray hair and a gray beard, and Benny has a beard!”
Sheehan proudly points to the ribbons, which he has mounted on a board, exclaiming: “At the end of the day, we came home with eight ribbons!”
Reminiscing, he recalls, “I retired five years ago; I decided to look into goats as pets. I visited a farm and here were these Nigerian dwarf goats bounding around like wind-up toys—I said, by golly, I’m going to get two of these. They were eight weeks, we fed them by hand with bottles; they have become a part of our household. They even have their own little ‘condos.’”
Sheehan says goats, while very different from other pets, are fairly self-sufficient and do not get fleas or bite. They are clean, smart and inexpensive to feed. They love to eat maple leaves or dandelions; in fact, they will try most anything, but are picky once they have made their choices.
“My boys have different personalities. Every day is different; they are like typical brothers who will bang heads with each other—you push me, I will push you,” Sheehan says.
He offers this advice to people who are contemplating adopting goats as pets: “You need to keep two areas in mind: One, it is important to be conscious of their health needs. Certain plants such as rhodies and azaleas are poisonous for them. And two, you must be aware of predators such as coyotes, prey animals, bobcats — even dogs are an enemy of goats, so be cautious so they are protected. Cooter and Benny are very aware, have amazing senses, but they are constantly in alert mode.”
Sheehan likes to promote good goat care. Occasionally, he will take the goats down to the Kirkland Farmers Market for show and tell: “I love showing them off and letting people know what kind of neat animals they are, and the kids love to see their tricks.”
Sheehan’s next visit to the Kirkland Farmers Market will be Aug. 5, Kids Day which will run from about 3:30-6 p.m., depending on weather.
For more information on the New Moon Farm Goat Rescue and Sanctuary visit www.newmoonfarm.org. The sanctuary is located in Arlington.
