We first heard about this little goat when a neighbor called us for help. He had been shot in the leg, allegedly by the owners on a drunk who were now off on vacation. His friend had been killed and this little goat was dying of infection. The neighbors were caring for him and had saved his life but there was still a lot of infection. We were asked to help if we could with homeopathic remedies and herbs that we use.
He showed visible improvement almost overnight. For 3 days we went down and did what we could to help. When the neighbors asked if we could give him a home we knew we would. So little goat rode home with us in the front seat of our pickup and never looked back.
We named him Jimmy 2 Toes and he fully recovered in about 2 months. He quickly became the star of our place, entertaining visitors with his charm. We hike every day with our animals and Jimmy quickly caught the hang of it. He never needed a leash, he simply followed David wherever he went.
We learned a lot with Jimmy How to trim his toes and what to feed. We had never had a goat before and read every book we could find on the subject. Jimmy loved the chickens and they loved him. He would sleep in his house with 2 or 3 of his feathered friends snuggled up to him. Jimmy also loved to climb so he would jump up on his house and down off his house. Up and down, everything was great fun. When we would harvest from the garden, Jimmy was always the first one to baaah and beg for treats. Raspberries, lettuce, corn, he loved it all.
Jimmy lived here with us for over 2 years. He was friends with all our rescued animals and David’s good pal. One day I heard about a horse who had lost her best friend of 12 years, a goat, when she passed away from old age. Rose was 20 and had grieved for her friend an entire year. I knew right away that Jimmy 2 Toes had a mission. I spoke with the woman about him and we took him over. Rose, the horse, was delighted. Although we miss Jimmy every day it was the absolute best thing for both of them. They are inseparable and eat together, sleep together and spend most every moment of every day together.
Rescue work is difficult because we have to let go. We rescue, care for, feed and love these animals but in the end it is best to let them go when a perfect home presents itself because it enables us to rescue more animals. If we keep them all there would be no room for the ones that truly need us at that moment in time.
We have been fortunate to have been able to see Jimmy 2 Toes and visit him on occasion. It is a beautiful thing to see them so happy together and we were able to rescue two goats who were going to be shot by their owner. We have named them Henry and Heidi. We miss Jimmy 2 Toes but are secure in the knowledge that he is safe and loved. I believe that he had a purpose and we were put into his life to help him get there.
