Meet the Goats Mondays: Introducing Dot

Welcome to Monday, dear reader. I was struck that most of you don't know the girls in our herd who produce the precious, nourishing milk that makes the soaps and moisturizers you love. So, I have decided that Mondays will be Meet the Goats Mondays. Since the passing of my five original girls, it is time to focus on the new generations. Many of the girls are daughters and granddaughters of my five original girls. We are blessed with a sweet herd. Our girls are gentle, intelligent, and full of positive personality traits. I tell people our girls are better than dogs. I genuinely enjoy our herd, and they bring joy to us all. 

Today, I would like to introduce you to our first-ever spotted girl born on the farm, Dot. Dot is the daughter of my dear girl, Lily. Lily passed away this spring but will never be forgotten. Dot is one of the two girls we have left from our first-year babies. That makes Miss Dot eight years old. Dot is a delight. She is by far the funniest girl in the barn. You can read the humor in her eyes and her smile. Dot is nosy, curious, inquisitive, bold, and strong-willed. 

Dot's behaviors make us laugh out loud. She never misses an opportunity to bury her head in the feed bucket that is being carried from stall to stall. She is also the one to stretch as tall as possible and try to bury her face in the feed bucket that hangs on the milking stand. Sigh, that behavior is annoying. Now that my original five girls are gone and Jessica, aka Horns, has gone to live with the Williams family, Dot is the herd leader. The herd has a distinct, measurable, and obvious pecking order.

 Dot is the first girl to go on the milk stand at each milking. There is no pushing or fighting for this privilege. The girls generally stand back and allow Dot to enter the milking parlor without incident. Once Dot's milking is complete, she exits the milking stand and waits patiently for the other girls to finish. She periodically stands on her hind legs to look over the stall to make sure the milking is progressing at a good pace. Dot's look of surprise when she peeks over the stall never gets old. It's like she's saying, "Hey, how's it going? Remember me? Yeah, let's move this along; there is grass to be eaten!"

Dot loves to be brushed and fawned over. She likes head scratches, back scratches, and chin tickles. She enjoys a treat now and again, but is not the treat monger her mom was. Dot does not like being penned away from the herd or being alone. She doesn't like bananas or apples. Dot is a very good mama, but not a helicopter mom by any means. Dot produces a good amount of milk, is very polite on the milk stand, and never kicks over the milk bucket or kicks off the milkers. 

As the new leader, Dot is confident without being a bully. She leads the herd out into the field every morning and back into the barn in the evening. She won't put up with anyone who tries to overstep her boundaries or disrespect her authority. She is a head-butter, not an ear- or tail-biter. Dot leaves the overseeing of the little ones to the more nurturing girls. She enjoys a good pushing match and is always down for a game of who can head-butt the hardest. Dot usually wins. 

She is attention-seeking and isn't above nibbling at your clothes or hand to start a good scratching session. Dot is friendly with the rest of the barnyard family. She is gentle and patient with Jack the cat. We often see her nuzzling him in the mornings. She has been known to give the barn chickens the occasional piggyback ride. She is one of the few girls who aren't afraid of the grumpy, hissing, biting geese. Dot seems to be friends with the geese who nest in the barn. Overall, Dot is a delight.

Dot's best friend is Fauna, aka Twin. They were born in the same year, and their personalities complement each other. Dot is definitely the more outgoing of the two. When in the field or bedded down for the night, she and Fauna are always near each other, and she takes a rather protective stance over Fauna. She head-butts anyone who is too rough with her friend. However, Dot and Fauna are often seen playing a solid game of who can head-butt the hardest. 

The barn is very peaceful, and the vibe is friendly under Dot's leadership. We enjoy our beautiful spotted girl and are happy to see her in a new leadership role. Everything in the barn feels very kum-bah-yah, as my friend Jane would say. No one is frightened or terrorized; everyone is treated with a friendly roughness. I have not seen anyone singled out or ostracized like I did when Horns was the barn leader. Overall, I believe the herd is happy. If my girls are happy, then I am happy. 

On this September Monday, stay safe, be smart, I hope you enjoy meeting our herd, and keep washing your hands.