Chat
04-23-2015, 07:31 PM
Today I clipped and bathed Cuzco in preparation for the Weld County Goat Extravaganza where he's been invited to star again this year. I've never clipped him when he still had so much undercoat, and let me tell ya--it's not recommended! At least Cuzco is patient even when the clippers get jammed in all that "dryer lint". He LOVES to get body clipped and he even seems to enjoy getting bathed afterwards, provided I use warm water (which I did). Last year I bathed him at the fairgrounds and it was horrible. It was an outdoor wash rack with no hot water, and a cold front was blowing in and it was getting dark just as I got started. Poor Cuzco--he was so good about that ordeal even though he shivered violently the whole time. I decided that was NOT a good idea and I bathed him here at home to save him (and me) the torture.
I also bathed Pac-Man, Finn, and Sputnik since they are coming with us too. Pac-Man is sooooo white now, which is very rare because that goat loves to roll in the dirt like a horse. He was terribly mournful the whole time and would not stop baa-aa-ing pathetically. He really does hate water. Finn, on the other hand, loved it! I was able to scrub nearly all of the left-over buck yuck yellow from his front legs. He's incredibly soft now and I can't stop running my fingers through his hair at every opportunity.
Sputnik was a riot. He was ok with the water and tolerated the bath well even though he was upset when the other goats went out of sight. But he went berserk after I dried him off and started to brush him. I have a slicker brush with wire bristles that retract so I can clean the fuzz out of the brush. About half or more of my goats love the slicker brush, a few don't care for it and will walk off if they're not tied, and apparently it drives Sputnik mad. I gave him about two strokes before he snorted and whipped his head around like he was going after a biting fly. I tried again and he did the same thing. The more I tried to calm him down and get him to accept the brush (even just a light touch with it), the more berserk he went. He kept whipping around and snapping at it or trying to butt it. I was forced to give up when he suddenly went air born in violent pursuit of the offending hairbrush and did a 360 without touching the patio. I was amazed, considering he was tied to the fence when he did it. He tolerated the horse-type dandy brush, but he was very happy to get out of there. Thank goodness he's learning to forgive me for these horrible ordeals I sometimes put him through. Once upon a time it would have taken him a week to get over it. He's still sulking a little, but I'm sure he'll be over it by morning.
And now I've got to go and finish packing the truck! I'll be sure to take pictures this weekend!
I also bathed Pac-Man, Finn, and Sputnik since they are coming with us too. Pac-Man is sooooo white now, which is very rare because that goat loves to roll in the dirt like a horse. He was terribly mournful the whole time and would not stop baa-aa-ing pathetically. He really does hate water. Finn, on the other hand, loved it! I was able to scrub nearly all of the left-over buck yuck yellow from his front legs. He's incredibly soft now and I can't stop running my fingers through his hair at every opportunity.
Sputnik was a riot. He was ok with the water and tolerated the bath well even though he was upset when the other goats went out of sight. But he went berserk after I dried him off and started to brush him. I have a slicker brush with wire bristles that retract so I can clean the fuzz out of the brush. About half or more of my goats love the slicker brush, a few don't care for it and will walk off if they're not tied, and apparently it drives Sputnik mad. I gave him about two strokes before he snorted and whipped his head around like he was going after a biting fly. I tried again and he did the same thing. The more I tried to calm him down and get him to accept the brush (even just a light touch with it), the more berserk he went. He kept whipping around and snapping at it or trying to butt it. I was forced to give up when he suddenly went air born in violent pursuit of the offending hairbrush and did a 360 without touching the patio. I was amazed, considering he was tied to the fence when he did it. He tolerated the horse-type dandy brush, but he was very happy to get out of there. Thank goodness he's learning to forgive me for these horrible ordeals I sometimes put him through. Once upon a time it would have taken him a week to get over it. He's still sulking a little, but I'm sure he'll be over it by morning.
And now I've got to go and finish packing the truck! I'll be sure to take pictures this weekend!