After months of wishing to be able to cross a fence and see what it’s like on the other side, Louie Houdini has found an odd friend in our dog. Louie’s an expert escape goat. Whenever we think we’ve replaced and repaired the fence, Louie Houdini sits back, thinks about it all day and escapes. He has the patience of Job. He will continue to stay at it until he’s successful. He leaves his partner, Ollie, to find his own way out of the pen. It’s not like they don’t have plenty of space, they have about a half acre to themselves. But I’m sure it’s enticing to think what it would be like beyond the fence spending time with our dog and savoring the unreachable oak trees. Chief, our German Shepherd, lives his life mostly in the yard, herding the goats from across the chain link fencing, pacing, keeping watch over the them and making sure the three evil house cats don’t cross the line into either goat pen or back yard fencing. Chief is our watch dog and he is very good at what he does, watch and herd. Well, lately Louie Houdini has found his way into Chief’s territory and has found a friend.
Louie Houdini and Chief play chase: chase the goat, chase the goat with a ball in the mouth, chase the goat with a stick in the mouth and chase the goat just because. When we take Louie Houdini out of the back yard after play time, his back and neck are wet and he seems like he’s just plain worn out. I would like to think Louie feels sore from the workout he’s received. Chief must think he’s a goat-dog. He walks on four legs like a dog, has a wagging tail and floppy ears like some other dogs, but he has no upper teeth and can poop while he walks. Chief is enamored with the relationship, while Louie Houdini seems to enjoy himself while visiting and he must being he finds a way for a visit ever so often. I was warned, (and believed), when I brought the goats home, German Shepherds and goats will not be a happy family. If Chief ever brought blood, he would kill the goat and eat him. But after months of herding and watching and playing through the fence, Chief has proved me wrong.
This article originally appeared on Santa Rosa Press Gazette: Odd relations across the fence