Caleb Bruce tends to his hungry goat during his study hall.
ANA MEZA – Hoof Prints Staff
Over the summer, three female goats were acquired by agricultural director, Mr. Bruce Fires. Caleb Bruce, Heath Hawkins and Houston Pendergrass each bought a goat for fifty dollars in July and were interested in entering them at the Northeast District Livestock Show at the Craighead County fairgrounds.
Since deciding to show the goats, the students have been training with their goats for about an hour a day. The goats must learn to show obedience and to walk in a full circle around their handler for competition. They must also pose for the judges to show off their figure. The most obedient and muscular goat will be the winner.
The three students were interested in being owners of the goats for two reasons. First, they would receive time off from school to show their goat at the fair. Also, they would be able to sell their goat after the show for profit. Pendergrass, however, plans to keep his goat as a pet after the show “I’ll keep it cause it can mow my lawn” said Pendergrass.
Having a goat has proved difficult for the three boys. The goats must be walked daily and require special food. The students spend 18 dollars on the general feed and 30 dollars on the special formula feed which lasts about two weeks “Even if I get a $100 for my goat, I think I’d be losing money cause the feed is kind of expensive,” said Bruce. The students must also keep the pens clean while making sure the goats are comfortable with their surroundings. For the time being, Maggie is the only goat with a roof over her head, but all goats have hay and water in their enclosing.
Students have become accustomed to the goats. Several have volunteered to walk the goats during their study hall. “They’re so cute,” says Kaley Poe, “You just pull their tail to make them walk. It’s so much fun.” Younger students have gotten to know the goats too. “I take the girls to see them (the goats) everyday after school. They seem to get such a kick out of it. I think the goats are a great thing,” said math teacher, Leah Gathright.
However, the goats are causing a few problems. Students like Whitlee Rolland have even suffered small injuries from the beloved goats. “I was walking the ‘mean’ goat when he decided he didn’t want to walk anymore. So, I bent down to grab him and he reared back and hit me with his horn. It hurt so bad,” said Rolland.
The band members have come close to loathing the three goats. “Every time you try to play, you hear a ‘baaaaahh’. It gets rather annoying after a while,” said Nicole Poe. Poe and other band members are trying to have a positive outlook on the goats. “We were thinking of changing the name to ‘BIC Baaaaaah-nd’ or calling Mr. Eubanks ‘the old goat’,” said Mallory Steele.
Whether loved or hated, the goats have become a part of the BIC family. Chloe, Stella, and Maggie are the names given to the seven month old goats and were chosen by the current senior class of animal development.
