When I started my little farm I didn’t have a clue what was out there & what was available to me.  I was so eager to start my “menagerie” that I just bought (or accepted), what I could quickly find.  My first goats were 3 little Pygmys that were so skittish & afraid of humans that we chased them for about 30 minutes before we caught them.  They were about 8 weeks old and with daily attention they became very friendly.  Not long after a neighbor traded 8 nannys with me & only one allowed me to touch her & that was because she was so sick she couldn’t run away.  I spent a lot of time, money & heartache on that goat who once healed, never let me near her!

Then I bought an expensive herd of registered Myotonic goats, 3 does & a buck.  The seller refused to let them go until they were 6 months old.  They arrived here wild & left a year later just as wild.  These goats are over 100 lbs of solid muscle.  Just trying to trim their hooves took so much energy out of you that it was a chore I would always put off!

At some point I guess I got smart and started to think of my herd in a more reasonable way & not with my heart and my emotions.  Over time I sold all the animals that I had that were not people friendly.  Some I sold for half of what I paid & others I simply gave away & cut my losses.

I love all animals but I’m not stupid nor do I have an unlimited supply of money!  Perfect example is with the Pot Belly Pigs I used to have.  Only one of the 3 allowed me to barely touch her.  The food bill alone for those 3 was about $18 per month.  Not to mention the time I’d spend cleaning their huts & making sure they were safe from predators.  Their little pasture was in an area that I really had no view to.  Only my neighbors actually saw them on a regular basis.  I’d see them daily when I’d bring feed to the trough.  I kept those pigs for about 2 1/2 years.  Do the math…  I cut my losses & gave them to a fellow who really wanted them, tame or not.  He just likes pigs.

During the course of the last few years, I bought several animals that I thought I could tame over time but after a few months if I didn’t see progress, I’d find homes for them.  I had a beautiful miniature mare that I couldn’t keep because she would kick at anything around her.  She just didn’t care for people or other horses.

In 2010 I thinned my herd because I couldn’t justify the expense vs the pleasure received from them.  I also found homes for animals simply because they deserved more time than I could offer them.  Life happens.  Things change.  You acquire an animal & a while later something happens where you no longer have the necessary time to spend with them & it’s just not fair to them.  Like my miniature donkeys.  I loved those two but even though they had food, shelter & care they needed more than an occasional scratch & that’s why I parted with them.  They are now with a wonderful couple who will give them all the attention they deserve.  This was a win/win situation & I try to make it like that for all the animals that I part with.

Although I have a “big” heart & love animals, I really don’t get it when people tell me, for instance, that they have a goat that they cannot get anywhere near but they persist on keeping them & fighting them simply to administer basic care.  Maybe I was there once – did I get wiser or did my heart harden?  That is the question!

I had let them explore the barn and they checked everything out – sniffing chickens, looking at the goats looking at them… just looking out at “freedom”

I had even walked them around on a lead and let them nibble on grass & clover… yes, there’s still some beautiful greens out there.  Stuff my goats would NEVER eat!  Spoiled goats… all they want is hay & their morning grain!  Note here to anyone thinking of getting goats to keep their grass trimmed – it doesn’t work.. goats will only eat grass if they have absolutely nothing else!

In any case.. I got my peewees settled in a new pen.  One that opens directly to the barn yard.  I removed the goats that I thought could be a problem (now those goats hate me), left behind Annabelle, Bongo, Herman, PeeWee  & Boo (they’re not interested in the horsies), and of course Ms Piggy.  Their new pen is again filled with fresh hay for bedding (and snacking) and is large enough to accommodate them long term.

As soon as they saw the gate opened & the view of the barnyard, they just trotted out and made it to the nearest clover patch.  I stayed close by  – on the lookout for the dreaded “clover-slobber” but they didn’t react to it so I left them to do what horses do best… browse.

Of course when the sun went down they weren’t anywhere near being ready to come in but I didn’t want to leave them out.  They need to be safe in their pen.  I caught Blondie (oh yeah, they wouldn’t just come to me, I had to catch them), and lead her in with Bogart following close behind.

I got them settled in with a cup of Junior Equine formula and they were blissfully happy to be locked in again!  Fresh Bermuda grass, grain, clear fresh water… what more could they ask for?

I took a few pics.. enjoy & feel free to comment.  I love to read what my fans have to say!

When I returned Friday with Scott, I found 2 little dwarf minis stalled together.  I allowed myself to enter their pen and examine them as best as I could with the little amount of knowledge that I have on these little guys.  Their legs were not bent, their hooves were relatively normal & the stallion had a slight under bite.  Oh but how cute they were!

Regardless of his small stature, the little stallion was so “studly” that he would answer to the whinny’s of the larger size horses!   He’d lift his head and practically lift his front feet off the ground the return the calls!  It was so cute (only because he’s so small).

Against my better judgment because I have at least a little knowledge of the negative aspects of owning dwarfs, I found the seller & begged him to sell me these 2 babies bypassing the auction process.   To no avail.  He had heard of a “freak” scout that was looking to purchase unusual looking animals for his traveling “circus” and like many people, dollar signs were all that mattered.

It was a long day… I returned at least 100 times to their stall to just look at them and pray that they’d find a good home.  I didn’t return Saturday for the auction…  I knew that I’d go head to head with anyone bidding on them and that’s not a good thing.  Auctions can be dangerous & I’m well aware how quickly bids can rise.   I knew I’d end up spending way more than I wanted to and way more than the value of the dwarfs.

To make an already long story short, Saturday the seller called me and offered me the dwarfs.  He was unhappy with the bidding & let me have them both for $1500.  He expected to make more than $1000 each but the auctioning held at about $1200.  He was “kind” enough to deliver them to me.  I was so happy, I cried!

This gentlemen (from Kentucky), currently has about 50 miniature horses on his farm and he claims he has between 1 & 3 dwarfs a year.   His breeding schedule should be examined to stop breeding the animals that are producing the dwarfs.  My little ones are of different mares but the same stallion… that should tell him something.  But then again, maybe the dwarfs are his cash cow.. so sad.

Bogart & Blondie arrived early Saturday evening and were lead to their new stall.  They were very skittish & not very friendly.  They are 3 & 4 months old and have probably not received too much socialization.  That’s okay… I know that within a week, they will be following me like puppies (I hope!).  I left them with a flake of fresh hay, a bucket of fresh water and quick kisses…