The Goat Story

On Wednesday, April 24, I came back to Unity House to prepare for a 5 pm alumni meeting. A one hundred fifty pound surprise was waiting for me and the dogs. A large goat stood outside of the sliding glass doors to the living area, and he seemed to be kissing the glass!

Last week, Petey the Goat escaped with a friend during a truck transfer on campus. Public Safety issued an all-points email bulletin for the missing goats, and Petey's friend was soon brought home. But Petey wandered the Unity area (and maybe beyond -- who knows where a goat goes?) for nearly a week.  I had been following the Public Safety updates (essentially, "the goat hasn't been found yet"), so it didn't take long for me to realize that the goat outside the glass was The Missing Goat.

I slid the door open a crack a started gibbering stuff like "Nice goatey," stuck my arm out, and grabbed the goat's leash. As soon as I stepped out onto the brick patio, the goat leapt into the air like a deer.  Thankfully, for me and for him, he leapt into the wire trellis you can see in this photo, and I was able to wrap the leash around the trellis and tie him up.

I called Public Safety, and Kris Miville picked up on the second ring.  Coincidentally, Petey's owner, Julie Kosch, had just been on campus. She and Kris arrived at Unity House in minutes.

Julie, who is adjunct faculty here, was overcome with emotion at the reunion.  Petey had been AWOL for so long, that Julie feared he had become tangled up somewhere, or worse.  I was very touched by her tenderness and concern, and by Petey's affection and obvious relief to be back with her.

And that's the story!