THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, February 26, 1995 TAG: 9502240195
SECTION: CHESAPEAKE CLIPPER PAGE: 03 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: Town Talk
SOURCE: Eric Feber
LENGTH: Medium: 58 lines
Debbie Johnson of Hickory got her goat.
The Johnson family's 2-year-old pet goat, Billy, had wandered off from his pen last Monday.
Saddened, Johnson put an ad in the paper's classified section, reading, ``GOAT - White Male: Neutered, 80-100 pounds. Brown paint on horns. Missing 2/20, Hickory area. Reward! (with her phone number).''
The ad brought an immediate result, Johnson said. The same day it ran she got a call from a woman on Johnstown Road.
It seems Billy had strayed into the woods that faces the back of the Johnson home. He had hiked about nine to 10 miles, apparently lured to the Johnstown Road resident's own goat pen.
``He's never wandered out of the yard before,'' Johnson said. ``He usually just stays in his pen. I was so glad to get that call. It was really uplifting for me to get Billy back.''
Johnson said the woman told her, ``I believe I have your goat.''
When the Good Samaritan told Johnson what the stray goat was doing, she knew it was Billy, all right.
``I kind of figured it was Billy because the lady told me she couldn't believe how friendly he was and that he didn't mix well with her own goats,'' Johnson said.
The problem with ol' Bill, Johnson said, is that he really isn't sure what species he is.
``He thinks he's a dog,'' she said. ``He was raised with Tara, a Rottweiler. Both grew up together and are friends. Like a dog, Billy loves to go on car rides.''
In order to get Billy acclimated into goatdom, Johnson bought him a small black-and-white goat about a month ago from a farm in North Carolina.
She hopes LG or Little Goat, as the new ruminant is called, will help give Billy some lessons.
``I hope he'll teach Billy to be a goat,'' Johnson said. ``I sure don't want Billy to teach LG how to be a dog. That would be funny.''
But LG has severe wanderlust, just like Billy.
``A little while ago, LG wandered off and ended up on that same lady's property,'' Johnson said., ``I think he was lured by her goats too.''
Right now Billy is back in his own pen and LG is in the Johnson's utility room, getting used to people and ``all the other critters'' on the Johnson property.
And that brown paint on Billy's horns?
It was not painted on by anyone in Johnson's family. That happened because of Bill's exuberance when he head-butted a freshly-painted wall in his pen.
Johnson said she will now be more cautious with Billy.
``I'm so glad to get Billy back,'' she said. ``From now on I'm going to keep my eye on him.'' by CNB