| Move over Harry Potter. Craig has it�s very own �Boy Who Lived�. Like the hero in the popular book series, this boy was the only survivor of a vicious attack on his family in the middle of the night. But there the similarity ends.
This boy is a Nubian goat named Jackie. In the early morning hours of Friday, July 29th, two dogs entered the property on Ranney Street where Jackie lived with a herd of Pygmy Goats. One dog, a pit bull, forced his way into their pen, and killed all 5 does. Ty Rudd, whose wife Debbie leases the property, arrived around 8 am Friday to work on his pickup. As he pulled up, a second dog, a Rottweiler/Husky mix, tried to attack him and forced him back into his truck. He called his wife on his cell phone to ask about the dog, then told her to call the police as it appeared that the goats had been attacked also. Sheriff�s deputy Alec Brown was dispatched to the scene. As he was talking to Ty, the second dog charged the two men in a vicious attack, which ended with the officer shooting the dog just feet from them. They then went to the goat�s pen where they found the pit bull, still attacking Jackie, with the bodies of the 5 does scattered around. The officer shot that dog also. Jackie was rushed to Craig Veterinary Hospital, where he was examined by Dr. Wayne Davis. Dr. Davis gave Jackie only a 25% chance of recovery as he was severely injured in the neck area. After treating the goat with antibiotics, Jackie was sent home to a comfortable stall to rest, while his owners watched and waited. On Saturday, Jackie was able to get up and walk for short periods of time, although he �walked like he was drunk� according to his owners. He continues to improve, astounding his veterinarian. �I am amazed to see how good he looks� said Dr. Davis on Monday, after treating his patient with another round of antibiotics. �There is still a lot of swelling, but his progress so far is very encouraging. We continue to hope for a full recovery.� As for Jackie�s owners, they are happy he is the �Boy Who Lived�. Two of the does who died were to be entered into the county fair next week, so Jackie�s progress is very comforting. They are also very thankful that none of the three horses on the property were injured by the dogs. Two Pygmy Goat bucks, who were in another pen also were unharmed. Ty said that while this was a terrible tragedy, at least no humans were hurt. �I shudder to think what might have happened if the neighbor�s children had walked down the lane to visit the goats that particular day. They wouldn�t have had a chance against those dogs.� Two men have been charged with �unlawful ownership of a dangerous dog, causing death or injury to domestic animals�, and are scheduled to be in court in October. |
| Goat Survives Vicious Pit Bull Attack in Craig |
| This was the story that I wrote as a guest columnist for our local newspaper, "The Morning News". It appeared in the paper on Friday, August 5th, 2005. |
 |
|
| Update! Jackie healed incredibly well and we continued to enjoy his presence and goat antics until he passed away in July 2006. We miss you buddy! |
 |
 |