www.ohca.com FALL/WINTER 2022 The Oregon Caregiver 27 PROFILE What’s your daily routine like with them? At breakfast, I go up and see them and give them graham crackers or soda crackers. So, when I get there, they’re standing on the fence. I give them a treat and then I feed them. There’s a newer goat and she doesn’t mesh well with the others, so I got to go feed her by herself. Then, I put hay into the pen and then clean it to make it nice, and warm for the day. I make sure that everything’s working and that they have plenty of water. During the warm weather, I got a new umbrella for them so they could stay cool. Then I take them on walk for probably an hour, an hour and a half every day. Do they know to follow you? Oh yes, they’re very smart. They just love it. I get to the gate, and they just come right along with me. I don’t even carry a leash with me. I can tell them, “come here” and to get away from somebody and they’ll listen to me. I hang out with them as well. I’ve got a dog and a cat, and they get along. I give a treat to the dog every morning too. Why do you think the residents love having all these animals around the community? Well, I was on the board here for quite a few years and I knew when I retired, I was going to go live here. It was not even a question whether the residents wanted animals. The date I moved in, the little goats came, which was four years ago. What kind of benefits do you notice from being around animals? What do you notice when you see residents out with the animals that makes their lives better? Sometimes, I can kind of feel sorry for myself, but when I get with the animals, everything goes away. They bring a lot of life to you right away because they’re happy to see you. The provide a lot of comfort. You hang out with them all day; they’re part of your family. They belong to the residents. There’s never a time I go to the goat pen and not see somebody there feeding them, petting them, or talking to them. The little goats are a lot of joy and everyone wants to be involved with them. There are some people who don’t do anything, or don’t leave their rooms, yet they’ll walk out to see the goats and go on a walk with them. It brings them joy every single day to do something small. What do your families and friends think when they come visit you? They love the goats. All the grandkids come over to see the goats. It’s just like raising little kids again, except they’re animals and everyone gets along. We have a lot of wildlife around this community. We have birds and wild turkeys. I’ve seen a bobcat and coyotes. I love that; I wouldn’t have it any other way. I feel joyful. I feel loved because they love me and I love them. I can take them out with other people and the goats will push the people out the way because they’re jealous, they’ll try to get people away from me.
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy MTY1NDIzOQ==