SaveOurGoats

This is where we got our goats from:

Check out their site!

Yesterday was a sad day, Arlington won and we had to “remove the goats from our property. We brought the goats back to the farm in Nokesville, and made this memorial video. It was a great experience to have pet goats, and I recommend everyone else do the same.

Our fight is not over yet, as we are going to try to change the zoning law at the next County board meeting. Also, we want to find someone who would be willing to adopt the goats, contact us if you are interested. Thanks to everyone that signed the petition and God bless!

-Bryant

-from Richmond

If you’re looking for something fun to do this weekend, check out the Fauquier County Fair.  Should be lots of opportunities to meet other goat owners and talk to them about goats as pets.  Have a good weekend!

http://www.fauquierfair.org/

A goat was arrested in Northern Alabama for jumping on a car!  See below for the article from MSN:

CAPSHAW, Ala. - The goat was arrested, the Mercedes-Benz was assaulted and the dog came along for the ride.

It happened Sunday when a woman driving the Mercedes saw a goat and dog playing on U.S. 72 in northern Alabama, Sheriff Mike Blakely said.

She stopped, afraid they would get hit, Blakely said. But the goat jumped on the car and wouldn’t come down. Fearing scratches and dents in her import’s paint job, she called the Limestone County Sheriff’s Department. A deputy got the goat down and put it in his patrol car, but then the dog jumped into his back seat too.

The deputy took the dog to a veterinarian and the goat to the home of another deputy.

“If anybody is missing a goat and dog, they need to let us know,” Blakely said.

The goats were a huge hit this Saturday at Hinkfest 2008. Our proud sponsor, HB Services, threw a great shindig with live music, bbq, and goats! Leche and Carne loved playing with the kids and listening to the tunes. Maybe this is the beginning of the goats world tour?

Leche said she couldn’t ride in the truck on an empty stomach.

Carne is a huge fan of backyard venues and he loves cover bands.

Kids of all ages love Carne and Leche. And there is goat apparel for all ages as well!

Carne and Leche have been practicing their dance moves out on the lawn!  What do you think of their technique?

No, actually, this is a picture of Carne and Leche stretching to eat some apple tree leaves.  They’ve been having a lot of fun lately eating our weeds and trimming the low hanging tree limbs.  Their balance is amazing!

http://www.sungazette.net/articles/2008/06/27/arlington/news/nws37.txt

Some people think goats don’t care about the stock market, oil futures, recessions, Arlington County zoning laws, researching appeals and variances, or hiring lawyers.  These people think goats only care about eating plants and having a good time.

We are fighting a tough battle against Arlington to get this zoning law changed so that we can keep our pet goats in our backyard.  Are we going to win the fight?  Do the goats even care?  One thing is certain, the struggle, fight, and community support to keep the goats is larger than the goats themselves can ever comprehend.  Carne and Leche are leading a movement that they don’t know exists.

I think our goats do care about more than just eating grass, and I know for a fact that they care about fighting for what you beleive in and fighting for what is right!  If they could talk they would tell all of their supporters, “Thank you.”

Seriously, how can you resist this cute goat?  Please sign the petition HERE.

A neighborhood friend brought by 3 full bags of ivy for Carne and Leche.  They love this food and have been eating it all weekend!  You may recall the “Mairzy Doats” nursery rhyme:

Mairzy doats and dozy doats and liddle lamzy divey

A kiddley divey too, wouldn’t you?

Which translates to:

Mares eat oats and does eat oats and little lambs eat ivy.

A kid’ll eat ivy too, wouldn’t you?

Here, kid refers to the name for a baby goat, Kid.  Thanks again for the present!

This isn’t us, but looks like a fun way to keep our goats entertained. What do you think - is it cruel or a good way to play with your goat?

CLICK HERE to check out the latest set of merchandise available. In addition to the basic t-shirts, we’ve added a hooded sweatshirt, baby items, a tote bag, and stickers. Enjoy!

SaveOurGoats merchandise available here

Now that Leche is slowly feeling better again she’s getting back into her favorite pastime, letting the kids of Arlington ride her.

Unfortunately, Arlington County does not love goats as much as we do. But through your support, and your help, we are going to keep paying off these fines. We are working hard to change the law for all of us for good. If we are successful, everyone in Arlington will have the freedom and the right to choose wether or not to buy goats (pun intended!)

Per the doctor’s orders, we’ve been giving Leche Penicillin shots two times per day.  She’s definitely not a fan of them, but we know they’re making her better.  Standard procedure is to have one person hold her still while the other gives the shot into the muscle.  We’ve been getting better at our shot giving technique and Leche’s showing significant signs of improvement!

Leche’s been off feed (hasn’t been eating) lately and is acting lethargic.  Not good.  Her devoted owners have been doing lots of research using their goat books and the Internet.  We had a vet come by yesterday to take a look at her and diagnose the illness.  The vet had a few ideas but decided to run some tests and get back to us in a few days.  In the meanwhile, we’re giving Leche 2 penicillin shots per day and treating her with lots of TLC!  When asked if there was anything we could’ve done to get her sick, the vet said “No, you guys are doing well, I think this might have been something that couldn’t be prevented.”  We’ll keep you posted on the latest details and be sure to check the LIVE GOAT CAM to watch Leche throughout the day.

Looking for something to do this Saturday?  Check out the Dairy Goat Awareness event held in Culpeper at CFC Farm and Home Center.  This event will educate you on raising and appreciating what Dairy goats have to offer- breeds of dairy goats, housing, fencing, feeds, hoof trimming, clipping, milking, goat products (soap, cheese, meat).  The local youth 4-H clubs will also be out showcasing their work with Dairy goats.  This event promises to be a good time and a great way to kick off National Dairy Goat Awareness Week (June 14 - June 21).

We’ve gotten 953 petition signatures so far.  We need just a few more to reach our goal!  Please help us by telling your friends to get online and sign the petition!

CLICK HERE TO SIGN

Carne’s fame is taking off fast. He was asked to be the first ever goat ring bearer for a wedding in Arlington on Sunday. He accepted and the wedding was a great success! Carne is staying pretty well grounded, and doesn’t let the fame disrupt his personal life. Leche hesitantly RSVP’ed that she couldn’t make it to the wedding.

A video of the wedding is coming soon.

It’s official, Carne’s new middle name is “Asada”.  Thanks to all who voted in the poll and look for a future poll to decide Leche’s middle name.

Carne Asada!

Great news!!!  The Arlington Board of Zoning Appeals (BZA) has granted the goats an extension until August 13th when they make their determination on our appeal.  In the meanwhile, we’ll be busy gathering information and making our case to the BZA.  We’ve appreciated all of the great legal input and will continue to welcome it.  Any help we can get we’ll take.  We also wanted to provide another thanks to Harry Hink of HBServices ( http://www.hbservices.biz/home.aspx ) and Brian and Ryan of Cook and Zook, LLC ( http://www.cookandzook.com/ ) for sponsoring the appeal - we wouldn’t have been able to do it without you guys!  Thanks for all the support and keep checking back as things begin to develop more quickly in the coming week.  We’ll provide new information to keep you updated as soon as we get it.

Keep signing the petition!  We’ll need this important document to have as many signatures as possible to decide the appeal.  The latest count is 846 signatures, so we’re well on our way!

This is it. Today’s the final day we’re allowed to keep Leche & Carne - unless we get an extension. The appeal has been filed and we’re waiting to see if it will be accepted and an extension will be granted to us. If not,we will be taking Leche & Carne back to the Nokesville farm where we got them at 3pm. Keep checking back - we’ll put the latest information up here & will even do a live goat cam “Bon Voyage” if they little guys have to go…

Strong storms in the area left brought damaging winds, knocking down tree limbs and leaving many without power. Carne and Leche feel for those impacted by the storm and wish them the best. However, they’re currently celebrating because the storm means lots of awesome food for them! Many nearby fallen limbs were gathered to keep the duo’s diet filled with variety. Keep checking the LIVE GOAT CAM throughout the day to watch them devour this huge tree branch.