It’s not every day
you witness a goat on a Harley, Sam is not one to shy away from giving anything
and everything a shot even riding round the paddock on his self-claimed miniature
Harley holding his white head proud.
Never failing to
put a smile on people’s faces, sometimes a look of shock when he goes for his
daily walks down the road on his leach always stopping at the local park to
enjoy a play on the slippery dip before trotting home, Sam is truly one of a
kind.
Sam is a Sannan
Cross Australian goat, who recently became one of the latest editions to our
family.
An orphan who came
into our lives at 1 week old, Sam has already made his mark on his local town
and those who live within it, as he walks daily on his lead never failing to
stop and say hello, and certainly not one to shy away from introducing himself
and meeting new people.
Sam never fails to
amaze me as I learn more than I could of imagined from this little white part
of our lives, his personality never failing to amaze and shock me.
Yet it saddens me
when I hear stories from locals of their pet goats and the fear they hold of
ringing to find out about keeping pets like Sam on their properties for fear of
large fines, fees for registration or to have the animal management come and
take their pets away, therefore they don’t make the call to find out what it is
they need to know.
Further I am saddened
to hear of the neglect and disregard for animals like Sam who is an orphan,
similar to a baby needing a lot of care and attention, with so much to give by
simply following you around the garden, coming for a cuddle or learning how to
play with his yellow ball as he skips around having his own fun, Sam is an intelligent
and loving animal who simply needed someone to be his mum, and found himself a
family who he fits in with and belongs.
Yet for so many
goats this is sadly not the way it is, as they find themselves unwanted, due to
their potential owners not having the right knowledge about what it is that
their pet actually needs, how to look after them correctly, and finding that
the novelty of owning a bottle fed infant is one that wears off quickly.
Sam will work with
Choices Australia as he makes his way through schools, education facilities,& communities, raising awareness about Traumatic Brain Acquired Injury, and
companion livestock.
Sam will also be
working with the local and extended communities in local shows rodeo’s and
events to educate people on what it means to be part of a family and what
orphan animals like him require for the long haul to enable more animals like
Sam find long term loving families. Sam
is about to embark on his first surrogate brother mentoring for animals like
himself, teaching them and their potential new surrogate parents how to look
after, treat and register other orphans, enabling people to have the best
information support and assistance when taking home their new family member.
All going to plan Sam
will teach other companion livestock goats like himself to walk on a lead, and
show them that people are here to love them, care for them, look after them but
most of all Sam aims to teach people how and what to do when it comes to care
and housing for companions like himself.
Sam never fails to
put a smile on my face even on the worst days, as I hope to work with Sam and
potential owners of bottle fed orphans to reduce the number of animals who are
sadly ending up in animal rescue shelters.
My name is Angel,
and I wish to introduce to the Lockyer Valley Sam the Sannan Cross.
