When Jeff MacDonald and Susan Eymann’s 16-year-old dog died, they looked for a new pet to fill the hole in their home and hearts.
“I realized this is a big house and big yard, and it was a long day without my buddy with me.… So I got on YouTube, and what’s the first video I find? Baby goats in pyjamas,” said MacDonald.
Now, the end result of that search — a goat named Boots — can be seen alongside them at the end of a leash on the streets of Lethbridge, Alta.
“After 2½ years, it’s still the same reaction: ‘Oh my God, is that a goat?'”
There’s a new famous face trotting around Lethbridge. Boots is a Nigerian dwarf goat who enjoys going on walks around town with his owners. Ose Irete tagged along to learn more about his growing herd of fans.
A goat on a leash is sure to draw attention, but the couple say they’re surprised at just how much of it Boots gets.
The Nigerian dwarf goat has a growing herd of fans in the southern Alberta town and on social media.
They say the novelty of a pet goat has people coming out of their shells — so much so that Boots now gets invited to spread that joy in the community.
“It’s rewarding. It’s just the joy, the joy that we see with people simply because they came over to see Boots,” said Eymann.
Pet goats not for everyone, says owner
Boots was born on the couple’s anniversary as one of four brothers.
MacDonald says that when the breeder invited them over to test the bond they had with the animals, Boots’s brothers kicked and screamed when the couple tried to pick them up.
“They wanted absolutely nothing to do with us. [But] when we picked up Boots, he tucked his head in underneath our chin, cuddled right in and wanted to go to sleep.”
The couple were put through the paces on how to care for the goat for a few weeks before they took their new pet home.
Despite that preparation and a lot of research, raising a goat has been very different from raising a dog.
“He’s not a pet for everybody. He’s way too demanding,” said MacDonald.
As herd animals, goats require constant companionship, MacDonald says. The breeder initially refused to let them raise just one goat until they convinced her they could give it the attention needed.
“You can’t have a single goat like we do unless you’re committed to being with him 24 hours a day. Not 23 and a half, it’s 24. They get high anxiety, they get sick and they will die,” said MacDonald, who works from home.
Boots needs to visit veterinarians trained to attend to his specific needs. Instead of drinking water, he gets his hydration from leaves and plants, which took the couple a while to get used to.
They also say he’s a quick study. He learns tricks in an hour that would take much longer with a dog.
Their biggest surprise, though, has been just how much people are drawn to their pet.
“His difference seems to be a huge draw, and an opening up of conversation and breaking the ice,” said MacDonald.
A source of joy in the community
Eymann says that when they started walking Boots around Henderson Lake Park, people would come up to them to see about the goat on a leash.
But she noticed there was more to the conversations than just satisfying curiosity. People share how seeing Boots is a reprieve from their struggles.
“They open up about the joy that he’s brought to their life, to their day and how much they needed it, and that’s just been remarkable” she said.
That phenomenon hasn’t gone unnoticed in the community.
Boots is now booked and busy with Eymann acting as a secretary, juggling appointments at seniors’ homes, schools, hospitals and more.
“Complete strangers telling us how their life has gotten better within that hour just because they got to see Boots. So it’s fascinating, because he’s not a therapy goat. He’s not trained. We’re not trained. He’s a pet on a leash, but it’s way bigger than that,” said MacDonald.
The couple say they’re also beneficiaries of the joy Boots is spreading.
Eymann, who is heavily involved in Lethbridge’s sport community, says Boots has helped her connect to the community in a different way.
“I think for us as well, when we have days that aren’t the most positive or we’re not the most energetic, it gives us purpose and makes us get up and go outside.”