Other "Haute" Goats: Who said goats aren't sexy?

need I say more?

Other "Haute" Goats: Telus' jumping pygmies

I have to ask - what is it about jumping goats these days?  Still, you have to admit, these goats are adorable!

Other Goats: High on a hill...

...was a lonely goatherd ♫ ♫ ♫

By far one of my favorite songs - it includes goats (with bright red lipstick) and yodeling!  And now I found a goat marionette - if you hear yodeling coming from Queen Anne, you'll know who's practicing ;)

Other Goats: Goatherders of the world unite...

It's nice to see a traditional vocation becoming lucrative once again.  We should all go back to our roots and learn from our ancestors!  Ok, maybe we should just all raise goats - think of the carbon emissions that we would be eliminating if there were no more gas-powered lawn mowers & weed eaters!

*And thanks to Haute Goat Facebook Fan Marcia for bringing the NYT article to my attention!

Other Goats: the Chicago Cubs and a goat

Who knew that goats could play such an important role in sports history (well I could've guessed it, but I'm a little goat obsessed in case you haven't figured it out).  It ends up that the Cubs haven't won a World Series since 1945 - and some believe it has to do with a billy goat not being let in to see the game...

Other "Haute" Goats: Goats in Trees

So, if you want to buy me a Christmas gift now is the time to grab this - 

it is sure to be a best seller!

Other Goats: Goat Rapper

Ok, yes this kid (no pun intended) can rap fast. But why the goat?  It must be his muse...

Other Goats: my friends at the Woodland Park Zoo

 

if you go by the Woodland Park Zoo, say Hi to my friends!

Other Goats - Goat's Beard

Here's a perennial plant for you that "makes a statement" in the shade.  Goat's Beard is also known as Aruncus sp. and also as Spirea sp.  You can read more about it here on the Better Homes and Gardens website if you want to plant it in your garden.

Other Goats - Goat's Rue

Goat's Rue, Galega officinalis

Its name derives from gale (milk) and ega (to bring on), as Galega has been used as a galactogogue in small domestic animals (aka brings on lactation).

Ok, they claim this is how the common name came about, but let's review.

Goat - yes, small domestic animal - good so far

Rue -  noun /ro͞o/ 1. Repentance; regret  2.Compassion; pity - hmmmm... 

Did people regret feeding their goats Goat's Rue once they started lactating?  Did the goats regret receiving it?  I don't get it, do you?

Other Famous Goats - Chupacabra, the Goat Sucker

from http://hubpages.com/hub/GoatSucker

I am at loss to even describe this hideous beast that would attach not only live animals, but also teddy bears.  Why it is called the Goat Sucker, I don't know.  I doesn't suck goats, or look like a goat for that matter - it is described as a cross between a porcupine and an alien.  It smells like sulfur and can leave a slimey path behind it.  And it screams in such a way that it sounds like it is laughing and crying at the same time.

Yeah, well, you're going to have to do your own research beyond that.  Oh, and by the way - it is indigenous to the Americas...

Other Goats - Goat Antelopes

Did you know that the Musk Ox is a Goat Antelope?  Yeah, it's in the Family Bovidae, Subfamily Caprinae - just like the domestic goat (aka the goat you see on farms).  And there you have it for the next game of Trivial Pursuit - wait, does anybody play that anymore?

Other Goats: Goat Origami

Found these cool goat origami - had to share:

http://www.michaelroysfold.com

http://www.origami.art.pl/en

my apologies, I forgot to get the designer of this goat...

from http://www.origami-resource-center.com

from http://www.origami-resource-center.com

from http://snkhan.co.uk/forum/viewtopic.php?t=1164

from http://origamidb.stagepics.co.uk

Other Goats: the Goat Fish

Did you know there was a "Goat Fish".  You might know it by its other common name, the surmullet.

Interestingly, they have a pair of chin barbels - and that's my mother's name.  Well actually her name is Bärbel which is the German equivalent of Barbara... but I digress.

The biggest goatfish can be 55 cm (21.6535433 inches) - and yes, they are "food fish" - aka people eat them.  In fact, in ancient Rome until the end of the second century A.D. two species of goatfish (Mullus barbatus and Mullus surmuletus) were highly sought-after and expensive, however not as a delicacy, but for aesthetic pleasure, since the fish assume a variety of colors and shades also during death (see also above). Therefore it was paramount to serve live fish and let it die before the eyes of the guests. True fact.    (you can read more about it here)

Other Goats: Terry Pratchet and naming goats

from Wikipedia

Here is a note which I received from Marcia, a fan of mine in Montreal:

Dear Heidi,

Other Goats: Dangers of Wild Goats

To follow up with my previous post about a hiker's unfortunate encounter with a feral mountain goat in the Olympic National Park, here is a post from one of my favorite blogs, All Things Goat about how to act if you encounter a Mountain Goat.  It's always good to keep these things in mind when hiking through national parks.

Other Goats: Mountain Goat vs. Man

So there was some sad news in the Seattle PI and also in the Seattle Times newspapers last week about a mountain goat turned bad (it was subsequently picked up by BBC also - so we hit the big time!).  Apparently the goat just had a mean streak in him and he took it out on humans.  One unfortunate hiker innocently tried to shoo him away from the picnic area where his wife and friend were eating lunch.  The goat didn't like that idea and won the duel.  Ultimately the goat lost too, since he was shot by rangers.  Tragic...the whole thing.

Remember that animals are animals.  Wild animals should not be fed by humans, because it encourages them to hang around areas where humans are - we call them wild animals for a reason. They should not be dependent on humans for food or safety, yada yada ya.  You know the story.  And just because there are vampires in the Pacific NW that can control themselves around tender young flesh, it doesn't mean that real animals can.  (FYI, the vampires are not real, just in case you are wondering).

Famous Goats: Presidential Pets

Abraham Lincoln had 2 pet goats named Nanny & Nanko. Or at least his son Tad did. But since Mister President liked animals he plalyed with them too. Or at least the stories go... There is no photographic evidence that this is actually true, but there is p.e. (photographic evidence) that Benjamin Harrison had a pet goat named Whiskers in the White House - apparently he kept it around to amuse his grandchildren (I can see why). William Henry Harrison also had a pet goat while in the White House (although he only actually lived in the White House for 1 month before dying, we will still consider the goat having established residence there), but again, no p.e.

Other Goats: Rent-a-ruminant

I wonder if this is why I like Seattle so much. Instead of chemicals we use animals. It's both old-fashioned and forward thinking; thrifty and eco-friendly; and fun to watch. Pemco made them famous. Boeing and Google have both used them. Goats will eat just about anything - including blackberries and noxious weeds. You've gotta love that someone was smart enough to rent out their goats to eat other peoples' problems!


So, just in case you have a lot to clear, here is the website for Rent-A-Ruminant. Let me know if you are having goat-work done - I would love some photos!

Famous Goats: Military Mascots

While stumbling around the internet I ran across a wikipedia page for William Windsor - the cashmere goat that was the mascot for the Royal Welsh Fusiliers (British Infantry). It seems William was demoted in 2006 from lance corporal to fusilier for some goatly ruckus during the Queen's Birthday celebration (I wonder if he munched the flowers on the Queen's hat). William, or Billy for short, retired in 2009, but the tradition of a goat in the fusiliers dates back to 1844.

goat mascot, Royal Welsh Fusiliers, World War I - 1914

As I researched a little more (because let's face it I find the idea of the military having a goat as a mascot amusing), I found that the tradition of goats in the military dates back as far as 1775 when a goat wandered onto the battlefield during the American Revolution. The US Navy has had a goat as a mascot since 1893 (when it dethroned the monkey). Today's mascot is Bill XXXIII. If you are curious about why the goat became the mascot, you can read it here - it's an odd tale, but then again it involves the military and animals - did you expect anythiing different? and the Greek Infantry, also 1910-1915, had goats as mascots.

US Navy Mascot 1910-1915

Greek Infantry 1910-1915