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Dear ^au4a and Sandra* <br />I am a new subscriber to FOOTWJTES* and I am <br />looking forward to being the proud owner of a Nigeria'^ y <br />Dwarf doe this spring. I worked at the goat barn at <br />the University of California in Davis for a year to <br />learn goat keeping first hand before I actually wouTd <br />get an animal of my own. That was more than 5 years <br />ago. Working there* I learned 1 really liked/these <br />animals and taking care of them. <br />I feel the article in FIRST For Uoeen m^azine re­ <br />quires more than comment. I would like to' take issue <br />with some statements that were made, i^was appalled <br />that they recommend tethering. Tethering is not the <br />restraint of choice for goats. Goats*' being herd ani­ <br />mals and enjoying each other's company, cannot be very <br />companionable when tethered because of the danger oi <br />tangling in each other’s teUrers. Then of course a <br />goat can become entangled ^^its own tether. I’m sure <br />the majority of goat owners would agree that goc <br />fencing is the restrair^^bf choice. <br />Another fallacy^>n the article is the statement <br />that goats requir^grazing area. As most goat keepers <br />know* goats are^ot grazers but are predominantly <br />browsers. Evep-'^so* they require neither grazing nor <br />browsing* ar they can be kept in dry lots with the <br />keeper bn^nging them their food. At U.C. Oavis* they <br />kept^tf(e majority of their goats in pens with gravel <br />on^--^^e ground. Each pen had a communal goat house* <br />with straw on the wooden floors. Seldom if ever did <br />these Qoats oraze and browse. <br />The article in FIRST For Women magazine also states <br />that a miniature goat’s manners are "challenging at <br />best". The same can be said of many dogs, who jump on <br />people* slobber on people, bite, bark, etc. any an­ <br />imal not properly trained can be "challenging at <br />best". To generalize that goats, miniature or other­ <br />wise* are just basically ornery is blatantly untrue. I <br />beg to take issue with the statement "Domesticated <br />farm animals* no matter how small* are not suitable <br />pets in suburban or urban households." This has long <br />been a disturbing issue with me. Why do we accept a <br />dog as a suitable animal for suburban or urban <br />dwellers and not a miniature goat? Dogs can be noisy* <br />smelly, and more than challenging in their behavior, <br />yet they are not questioned as suitable pets. Any ani­ <br />mal not properly cared for can be a poor pet. 1 be­ <br />lieve that a goat* far from being an unsuitable pet, <br />can be a superior pet to a dog or cat. <br />Goats can be very affectionate. They can be <br />trained* including house breaking. Their droppings are <br />easy to deal with, and, unlike that of dogs and cats. <br />(continued...! <br />5. <br />- m -J