Learning Patience, Fortitude & Endurance

Many of you have never had the experience of walking a goat. Goats tend to be stubborn, and unless you walk with them often enough… they won't move (to put it mildly). This year I am learning patience, fortitude, and endurance through a 46lb goat named Archer.

Let me recreate in your mind a recent walk we went on.

I decided it was time for our first “official” walking session. So I go unsuspectingly up to her and put her on the leash. That first part was easy enough, and my ego was boosted thinking, “She likes me already”. Hahaha
Then I hauled her out of the pen, really. We left a nice trail behind us, and that’s when I got the first inkling that this wasn’t going to be a pleasure walk in the sun that I thought it was going to be. Her companions made so much noise upon her departing that you would have thought I was kidnapping her! (Come on’ seriously?)

This is how Archer walks… dragging her heels and then sitting on her haunches.

Not wanting her to injure herself, I stopped pulling her along and got behind her head pushing her forward. That only gave her the opportunity to get in the “better to stab you with my horns” position. (What was I thinking?) I gave up on that walking position and went back to pulling her along. We made slow, slow progress…three steps forward and two steps back.

Archer finally decided she had enough of walking and sat down. I went behind her to push her up and she laid down. We were supposed to be going on a walk, not taking a nap!!! I couldn’t get her back up. So, I carried her back up to her pen.

It was a long walk.

Well, now that I’ve told you about that walk... I’ll finish off this post by sharing some pictures.

(You actually thought I would post pictures of that walk? Really!)