As you all know, we lost our sweet Clyde at the end of May and acquired a new billy, Nugget, to keep Bonnie company. Nugget was very frightened of humans. Terrified is the word I used. Given the scars on his flanks, we assumed he had been abused somehow. Every time anyone entered the back forty, he would go to the furthest corner possible. Any attempt to approach him resulted in his circling around so as to maintain the greatest distance possible. It took a month just to get him to come and get carrots out of my hand, and for that I had to be sitting down and unable to reach him beyond the length of the food.
Yesterday something changed. I went into their enclosure in the morning to give Bonnie her “treat” – a peanut butter and Triscuit sandwich containing her Meloxicam pills. Nugget usually watches me pass by him, watching me out of one eye. If I reach out to him, he backs away. Not far; not to the other side of the enclosure, just far enough to avoid my hand.
This time he did something different. Bonnie was in the bottom bunk. I bent down to give her the treat. Nugget started up the ramp to the top bunk but stopped half way up. I started talking to him and he didn’t go into anything approaching a flight stance. He was almost at my eye level and just looked at me. I reached out my hand and he didn’t back down or jump off the ramp. Instead, he stuck out his nose as if to sniff my hand for food. I touched his muzzle, and he licked my fingers. Normally this is where he would turn away – nothing good to eat, no reason to risk staying near the human. But instead, Nugget extended his nose further, enough to allow me to scratch his cheek. He didn’t turn away. Feeling brave, I reached behind his ear and gave his neck a little scratch. Nugget watched me but didn’t move. Okay, let’s see what he will allow. I continued to talk to him softly, rubbing on his flank. He actually turned toward me as if to say Okay, that feels good; keep going. I kept scratching his flank and his back. He just kept still. Periodically I would go back to rubbing his face, mainly to keep him from thinking I was trying to reach around him and grab him. When I rubbed his cheek, he would turn into my hand. Damn, he likes cheekies! Not wanting to press things, I stepped back after a few minutes and let him continue up to the top bunk.
All this happened without being recorded for posterity because I hadn’t taken my phone with me. Today, I was ready. Nugget walked up to me as soon as I came into their enclosure. No fear stance. I fed Bonnie and then turned to Nugget. He didn't move. Like yesterday, he sniffed my hand and licked my fingers. Like yesterday, he let me rub and scratch his face, flanks and back. Unlike yesterday, I was standing over him and he let me walk behind him. This shows a level of trust I didn't expect. I absolutely loved it, but I hadn't expected it so soon, even after yesterday's surprise. Nugget may just become a therapy goat after all.
Ed Rovera