All winter long, the animals at Drowsy Water Ranch get a chance to be themselves and show their personality. Let me tell you, we have a lot of characters around the ranch–animals and humans both. Two of the animals with the most personality around here? The goats, Phoenix and Shooter.
Usually, we buy baby goats in the spring, keep them for the petting zoo during the summer and sell them in the fall. But these particular goats and their extremely personable demeanor have allowed them to continue residence through the winter. They’ve made a place in our hearts and, specifically, in Peyton’s heart. Peyton actually speaks goat–really clear, perfect goat. She can call them in a loud Maa-Maa-MAAAAA and they come running to her. They follow her around the ranch like she is their leader, their friend, their human-goat liaison.
And if you want to see some funny animal behavior, just observe Phoenix and Shooter for a day. Their day to day existence is hilarious. A day in the life of a DWR goat may include climbing atop big rocks or logs, perching atop the hay bails in the feeder while the horses eat all around them, chasing and being chased by the dogs, climbing on Ken and Randy Sue’s hot tub, or following Peyton and Chase down the road on a walk or a bike ride. They are friendly, but I’m not sure they know for sure if they are goats, horses, dogs, or humans.
Peyton even dressed them up like super heroes one day. They didn’t seem to mind a bit.
One particularly hilarious occurrence happened just a few weeks ago. I was in the kitchen at our house doing what I do in the kitchen–cooking, cleaning, organizing–and the kids were playing outside. And by kids I mean both human and goat kids since Peyton had walked the goats down to our house to play outside. Or at least I thought they were meant to play ONLY outside.
While I was inside, the phone rang. I answered,
“Hi Steph, what’s up?”
Steph: “Oh nothing I was just calling to…”
Me, walking around the corner from kitchen to front door “Oh, crap, Steph, hang on a sec, something is coming in our front door…”
Steph: “Something? What are you talking about?”
Me: “Oh, it’s one of our…NO NO NO… GET OUT! …Goats”
Steph: “Your goats? You have goats coming in your house?”
Me, grunting as I pull on the goats back leg, “Yes, the kids must have brought them down, just…(more grunting) give me a sec (grunting and heavy breathing) I have to pull him out by his leg.”
Steph: “You are pulling a goat out of your house by it’s leg?”
Me, breathing heavily now “Yes, (stop to breathe), the little terd, get out of here! (then me to the kids) The goats CANNOT come in the house! DO NOT bring the goats in the house!”
Me: “Sorry Steph, what were you saying?”
I think Steph forgot what she’d called about by that point. I just laughed, a day in the life of a dude ranch family.
Hope you can come observe the funny characters soon. Drowsy Water Ranch characters are like no others.
