Bellingham WA Real Estate
Amy S Zender | Realtor® | Keller Williams Western Realty
Beautiful Bellingham Real Estate | amyzender@kw.com | Phone: 360-920-4886
Amy's Goats
Posted on February 26, 2009
Picture it. Austria. October, 2007. Beautiful. Picturesque. The Alps were alive and towering in the blue sky. We are sitting on a porch to a Bed and Breakfast. Just off the porch rested acres and acres of grassy knolls. Perfectly shorn, but yet you never hear a mower. It must be livestock, we thought. Yes. Cattle, sheep, and goats. Over struedel and Mosel River wine, the goat plan was born. We plotted and planned on how in the Pacific Northwest, we had acres too. They just were not grassy knolls - hence we needed goats!
Why goats? Well, cattle are large, and are not very affectionate. Some folks even suggest they have a relatively low IQ. Sheep require shearing, and can smell rather musky. Goats could be any size, always have fresh breath (you would too if you always ate vegetation), and can be raised to be snugly.
We returned. Bought fencing material. Built said fence. Built a goat chalet. Yes, it was modeled after some we saw in Europe. It has a lovely A-frame, with built-in hay-holder and grain bucket. So, we had the acreage, the fence, the house, and a gate. We needed a livstock guardian dog.
Enter Luna, the Maremma Sheepdog from Italy (we do not seem to do anything easy). She was a fluffy white ball of fur. We got her adjusted to the family, and when she was old enough to move outside (did I mention she has an insanely large, sturdy doghouse that looks out onto the goathouse?) We should have installed mailboxes on these two homes. Essentially, if the world population disappears, only the cockroaches and these two animal houses will remain.
In keeping with the European theme, we elected to purchase Alpine goats. All the other goats seemed to pale in comparison with this breed. Well, they were none around Bellingham, WA, or Whatcom County. So, off we go across the pass, through the mountains, to Ellensburg, WA, four hours away. Packed in large-breed doggie carriers, we brought back Aldo and Beppe.
Aldo is named after my favorite shoe designer, and Beppe is named after Beppe Gambetta, a famous Italian acoustic guitarist.
Our goat adventure meant we had to purchase hay, a pitch fork (yes, you can actually buy these!) and leopard-print rubber boots for me. Hey, if I am going to muck anything, it is going to be in style!
After bottle-feeding these little neutered fellows, they began to follow us around more, really exploring there boundaries. I can note that they love ear lobes, shirt sleeves, and noses. Funny little creatures, really. But they have brought us much joy. We did not need the goats, we just wanted the goats!
And now, Aldo and Beppe are a part of the family. Thanks for reading.
Why goats? Well, cattle are large, and are not very affectionate. Some folks even suggest they have a relatively low IQ. Sheep require shearing, and can smell rather musky. Goats could be any size, always have fresh breath (you would too if you always ate vegetation), and can be raised to be snugly.
We returned. Bought fencing material. Built said fence. Built a goat chalet. Yes, it was modeled after some we saw in Europe. It has a lovely A-frame, with built-in hay-holder and grain bucket. So, we had the acreage, the fence, the house, and a gate. We needed a livstock guardian dog.
Enter Luna, the Maremma Sheepdog from Italy (we do not seem to do anything easy). She was a fluffy white ball of fur. We got her adjusted to the family, and when she was old enough to move outside (did I mention she has an insanely large, sturdy doghouse that looks out onto the goathouse?) We should have installed mailboxes on these two homes. Essentially, if the world population disappears, only the cockroaches and these two animal houses will remain.
In keeping with the European theme, we elected to purchase Alpine goats. All the other goats seemed to pale in comparison with this breed. Well, they were none around Bellingham, WA, or Whatcom County. So, off we go across the pass, through the mountains, to Ellensburg, WA, four hours away. Packed in large-breed doggie carriers, we brought back Aldo and Beppe.
Aldo is named after my favorite shoe designer, and Beppe is named after Beppe Gambetta, a famous Italian acoustic guitarist.
Our goat adventure meant we had to purchase hay, a pitch fork (yes, you can actually buy these!) and leopard-print rubber boots for me. Hey, if I am going to muck anything, it is going to be in style!
After bottle-feeding these little neutered fellows, they began to follow us around more, really exploring there boundaries. I can note that they love ear lobes, shirt sleeves, and noses. Funny little creatures, really. But they have brought us much joy. We did not need the goats, we just wanted the goats!
And now, Aldo and Beppe are a part of the family. Thanks for reading.
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