Goat Philosophy

There are some rules I've learned over the years - they are rules the goats live by - let's say goat philosophy.

1. Always be very helpful especially when Lori is working in the corral. It is good to learn how to use her tools with your mouth.
2. Always do the exact OPPOSITE of what Lori wants you to do - unless it's part of the standard routine.
3. When Lori is trying to catch a particular goat, ALWAYS run interference.
4. If it is after dark and we are still outside - it is not safe to be put in the barn - RUN

There are some others, but these seem to be the main goat philosophies.

For example, last night as I went out to do chores I discovered that Isabelle (Arlo's grandmother) was in heat - so it was time to put her with the buck (Kendal). Well of course this game that we played for at least 20 minutes involved going around and around the corrals, but never through the gate to get access to Kendal. Isabelle was definitely interested, but I was not going to catch HER! Every time I'd get close enough to almost grab her collar, Arlo would tangle himself in my legs. I finally put Arlo out by the milking stand - which he yelled about, although usually he loves it out there. So then it was Maggie's (Arlo's goat mom and Isabelle's daughter) turn to run interference. She has excellent judgement as to when to dash directly in front of me.....
Finally I turned the whole milk goat herd into the next corral which then lead to a smaller pen next to Kendal. At that point most everyone was just sniffing around in the new area - which allowed me to close a gate and let Kendal in with Isabelle. You just have to be smarter than your average goat.....