What’s as much fun as a puppy, just as cute, twice as mischievous, and with more built-in bounce? That would be Vern, our brand-new house goat.
That’s right. House. Goat.
Vern came to us a little ahead of schedule in the “becoming part of the farm” department. His mama decided—after a brief trial run in motherhood—that she just wasn’t cut out for the whole nursing, cuddling, and loving-her-baby gig. You know how some women take one look at labor and say, “Nope, I'm out”? That’s Vern’s mama. So, as nature slammed that door, our living room opened a window.
At just two weeks old, Vern is too little, too chilly, and too unprotected to be out in the barn, so he’s bunking in with us for now. And let me tell you… he’s making himself very much at home.
He spends his days in the rooms with no rugs (because no one wants to shampoo goat poop out of an oriental carpet), bouncing off the walls—sometimes literally—exploring the mysteries of chair legs, table corners, and shoes. He’s convinced our slippers are just oddly shaped goats with no sense of humor, and he’s determined to befriend (or conquer) them.
The dogs? Oh, they weren’t quite sure what to make of this tiny, head-butting intruder at first. But he’s wormed his way into their good graces. Gabriel acts like he’s got a new recruit to train, Remi is pretending not to be interested but totally is, and Roxie… well, she’s still trying to figure out what species he is and if it’s edible.
Vern is a Boer goat, which means he’ll one day grow into a sturdy, muscle-bound fellow with a Roman nose and a serious job title: Baby Daddy. Hard to picture that right now when he’s doing zoomies across the hallway and getting his head stuck in a bucket for the third time today. But goats grow fast, and by next fall, Vern will be old enough to join the ranks of responsible breeding bucks. (Assuming, of course, he ever stops thinking that dust bunnies are friends and that my pant legs are edible.)
So if you're wondering what’s as much fun as a puppy but with more barnyard flair and significantly less regard for personal space?
It’s Vern. Absolutely, undeniably Vern.
