It being Independence Day I thought you might like to read Susie the Goat's take on it. Back in the 1990's when we lived in Arizona we published a magazine called "Canon Reflections." Susie the Goat was a regular contributor. Here is her Independence Day article. Frankie, the goat next door, and I were butting heads through the fence today, when a carload of flat-landers stopped out front. A child in the car shouted, "Look at the sheep!" Well I tell you, that ticked me off. Someone who doesn't know a goat from a sheep! Independence Day is a goat holiday. Who is more independent than a goat? That is one of the main differences between a goat and a sheep. Sure, I depend on my humans to keep my water tub full and to supply alfalfa when the brush is skimpy, but I could get by just fine on my own. The fence around my pasture is just to keep coyotes out at night, not to keep me in. If I take a notion to eat some leaves off the fruit trees, I just lean on the fence till it separates and I go out. Brian will always repair it, that's his job. He grumbles, of course but he doesn't really get mad. The point is, I can be free anytime I feel like it. Goats are independent. Sheep, on the other hand, are more than willing to be led around by the nose, and to have every facet of their lives controlled. They are sure that fences are to keep them in. Their owners have dogs to herd them around. Sheep just mill around and discuss how delicious the grass is and how sweet the water. In the meantime, the dogs nip at their heels and they crowd up blindly and follow along, nose to tail. Just let a dog try that with me! Sheep grow a coat of wool to keep them warm. They prize that coat and brag about it until one cold, gray morning, when their owners collect for the grass, water and security. Then Mr. Sheep stands cold and shivering, because he has been "fleeced" by his protectors. They never learn though----every year it is the same. Never call me a sheep. I am a goat and proud of it. My relationship with my humans is a co-operative effort. They don't try to control my life, and I try not to abuse my freedom (unless, of course, the leaves on the fig tree get too tempting.) When Brian is in my pasture, rebuilding my shed, I try to help and he tries not to get mad. We respect each other. I'm glad I'm a goat. See you next month. SUSIE THE GOAT
Nice one Dooley. Susie was definitely an independent and intelligent goat with a mind of her own. :-D
Susie lived with us for a long time. When we had to give her up she went to live in a children's zoo in Apache Junction Arizona. I'm sure she loved all the children feeding and petting her. She did have a mind of her own though. She got in the yard once and ate all the clothes pins off the line. Her name was SusieQ and with the help of dr she wrote an article every month for the three years we were doing the magazine. dooley
