Caprines

Kid Goats

"Death, what is it"?  You say, "I know."  I'm here to tell you, "I don't know and you don't either."  I lost a kid goat this morning.  Yesterday it was born and in good health but this morning I found its body, cold and hard.  The nanny is calling for her baby but the baby doesn't answer.  Now I have to investigate why a seemingly healthy animal suddenly died.

I am no stranger to death as my mother died in my arms, my mother in law lay in a hospital for three weeks before she passed and my father in law slowly succumbed to Dementia.  I've also been around for countless animal deaths and I'm here to say, "you never get over it".   

"How many more days do you have on earth?"  Not one of us has the answer. 

So the moral of this story is to embrace and cherish each and every day because we never know.  Make the most of being here.      

I've seen so many animals die.  Some are just resigned to their fate and go down.  Others fight until the very end.

There is no right or wrong way to die.  It's a personal choice even with animals.

I have so much respect for them.  They teach us so much about ourselves and sometimes push us, dare us over boundaries we were too scared to cross.  They shine a light on our strengths and weaknesses.  

They accept their roles and live out there days with us, not expecting anything more other than we  take care of them.  To me, this is a sacred obligation.  I continue to marvel at how they behave, after a frigid night, slowly appearing in the doorway of their shelters waiting for the sun to come up and then positioning their bodies to take advantage of the warming rays.  They court, they mate, they bring forth young and raise them with patience and love.  Unlike many humans.

There is a saying coined by a politician on raising kids, "It Takes a Village."

"No, I believe the proper version is, "It Takes a Goat."