A stray goat found last month in Hawthorne, Fla., will be looking for a new home after an adoption event at the Alachua County Sheriff’s Office at 10 a.m. Friday.
The nameless goat was found standing on the road in front of a home. The owner could not be located so the goat has become an auction item for the public. The auction, on Oct. 20, did not provide the goat with an owner and in turn the sheriff’s office have made the upcoming event a free adoption.
“We can’t keep him out here indefinitely is just the bottom line,” said Perry Koon, a deputy sheriff. “Quite frankly, the next step is if he can’t be adopted, he will be taken to a livestock market.”
The animal was moved to the sheriff’s office impound, a piece of land financed by the Alachua County Sheriff’s Office and built by Koon and fellow deputy Brandon Jones that houses cattle, horses, pigs and anything livestock related.
But this goat, Koon said, is friendly. He guessed the goat came from a herd and was probably someone’s pet, but said there is no way to know for sure.
“He likes the company,” Koon said. “Goats, like other types of livestock, are herd animals. They find safety in the numbers. They’re social and him being out there by himself is a little different for him. So just having the company, you know, he’s just eating it up.”
Koon said if multiple people show up wanting to adopt, he is not sure how it will be decided who is best suited to be an owner for the goat.
“That will be interesting,” he said. “We’ve never had to go to a giveaway adoption type thing. We’ve usually had buyers show up at our auction. Tomorrow’s going to be new ground.”
Kelsey Meany wrote this story for online.