Puget Sound Goat Rescue

Blog written by Sarah Klapstein

“The longer I live the more beautiful life becomes” -Frank Lloyd Wright

Yumi, I love this little old lady so much. The past few months I feel like finally, Yumi is truly settled into her new life.

This past spring one of the dairies we get baby boys from asked if we could provide retirement homes for a dozen of their older girls needing retirement. I immediately asked if Yumi was in the group. A few years ago while there to pick up babies, I spotted this adorable little cream Lamancha with a beautiful beard and a head full of curly top hair amongst the dozens and dozens of other goats. I instantly loved her. Conversations led me to realize we were bottle raising her babies from that year at Baby Goat Central. Bruno & Gus. Bruno was the spitting image of his mom. I texted my good friend and volunteer Amber “I just met B& G’s mom, I love her. We need her!” Fast forward 2 years later and we have her and she’s one of the most wonderful goats I have had the privilege of caring for.

Yumi, as with all of our other Golden Girls, was a dairy girl for over a decade. Leaving that life was a huge change for the girls to say the least. They have all adjusted in their own way and in their own time. Yumi seemed to make the transition seamlessly. She is a typical Lamancha doe, strong and bossy. But who she is today versus who she was when she arrived, she is a much different goat. She is settled into her life of leisure that she gets to share with the twins she gave birth to less than a week after she arrived. To watch her evolve as a mom, from an over protective, obsessive mother to letting her kids gain their independence and strong personalities, it’s been amazing. She is comfortable in that her babies are hers, forever. She has become my quiet companion every morning. She follows me around, always the observer and never misses an opportunity to give me leg massages with her curly hair topped head. She has become very affectionate, I feel it’s a sign of the trust that I’ve earned. She has always trusted me in a way, she sort of had to. She was in a new place after over a decade, she was raising babies for the first time and I was always around, whether she liked it or not. But this trust, this trust is different. Today, she is truly settled and her personality shows it.

Since welcoming the Golden Girls we have had to say goodbye to a few of these lovely ladies, Ysadora, Velvet, Virtue and Ynez all spent the last few months of their lives pampered in their retirement. Wish and May reside with board member Bonnie and May welcomed a sweet baby girl a few weeks after her arrival with us. May is truly having the time of her life being able to raise her baby girl. Yakina has a forever home with adopter Hannah and her herd of PSGR grads. Jubilee, Lady and Victory have an amazing retirement home with foster mom Debbie while Yumi and her kids along with not so “golden” girl Ruby reside here with me at Baby Goat Central.

Last week I watched Yumi run and frolic with her kids. Like she was a decade younger than she actually is. I couldn’t help but laugh out loud as my heart was so full watching her play. No matter how long they are each with us, they are so very loved. They deserve all the love and pampering in the world. We are so happy to be able to give them this life, a life I think my favorite old lady Yumi would say, is quite beautiful.