Cactus*Point Jesse’s Girl 1*M
Over the last 5 years I have had one goat that stood out above the rest in terms of her endearment to me.
She came to me as a 4 year old doe who had just had Twins. A mottled black doe with the eyes of an angel and the face of happiness. Jesse quickly wormed her way into my heart and my show string as my Fit and Show doe.
We spent many a long hours working on show routines and just hanging out in the pasture, her being convinced that she’d given birth to me and that she must guard me from all other ‘usurpers’.
A few years ago I retired Jesse from having kids after two particularly traumatic kiddings back to back. She’s since just hung out with the herd being a pasture ornament and teacher to the younger ladies who have graced my herd.
Always a calm and reasonable doe, she was first one to the milk room each morning(even when she wasn’t milking) and the last one to bed most nights. I could spend hours just snuggling into her and staring at the sky as the time passed us by.
She had a tough winter this year with the four feet of snow in December but I thought that we had turned a corner finally with the advent of Spring earlier this week.
This afternoon my sister went to do chores, and came running for me saying that Jesse had gone down. Instantly I was out the door and in the goat pen, but the moment I saw her I knew that I would be saying goodbye.
Jesse had suffered a stroke and lost the ability to control the left side of her body, and was having mini-seizures on her right side. I quickly tried to get her to a sternally reccumbent position, but found she couldn’t so covered her in my sweatshirt and sat on the ground with her waiting for the reinforcements to hurry up and eat help move her.
Called the vet and explained what happened he said he’d be out as soon as he could and to keep her comfortable. We moved her to the barn where I settled in to say my goodbyes and wait with her.
Thankfully when he arrived he quickly confirmed my diagnoses and prognosis, and agreed that I had made the right choice.
I know you will be waiting for me my dear friend, someday at the Rainbow Bridge. Until then, enjoy the pastures.
