My Orphaned Doe

I awoke this weekend to the dogs barking wildly and thought the fox was back trying for the chickens again. I ran outside blurry eyed and in my PJ's to find it was my little orphaned doe stuck in the pasture with the little goat boys. This little sweetheart has been here for three months now - I think her mother was killed by one of my nut job neighbors who feel it is perfectly O.K. to shoot out of season and on other people's property. Over the years I have had it out with several of them and I fear this little one is having to go thru life without her mother because of them.

Anyway, I told the dogs to stop their racket and she would settle down and hop out. By lunch I understood that she could not jump out and I would have to show her another way - Easy right? It is always upsetting when you are trying to help and all I do is make thing worse. Finally I decided just to sit and wait. With camera in hand I managed to get some snaps of the goat boys trying to calm her down. Her cries went on for hours untill the boys walked slowly up to her. The lead goat is Hansel - my caring twin who is always first to give loving attention to me or others. Next is Rasputent, the first to be born and the sweetest boy on four legs. All the boys came to comfort her and with comforting sounds they calmed her right down. Then the boys started walking slowly toward the barn and the doe followed. They got her to the barn pen which I was able to leave a gate open for her to walk out of - those wonderful boys where able to do what I could not - such wonders....

Each morning since, the little doe goes to the pasture with the little boys and eats her breakfast. It is sad to say that the deer herd that roams around here will not let her join but I think my boys have decided it is O.K. with them if she is a goat.