Star

I went out to feed this morning and found Star dead in her stall.  She looked like she had gone to sleep and at some point stopped breathing.  It's not a huge surprise since she was very very old and had been getting more and more fragile for the last couple of months, but it's still sad.  She was a feisty old girl.  She wasn't frightened by my crazy dog Sadie, even when Sadie was standing just across the fence and barking and barking and barking.  Star would just stand there and stare at her.  It drove Sadie nuts. Star didn't take any guff from any of the other goats.  She stood her ground and wouldn't let even the most rambunctious wether try to take her food.  She could stare any and all the other goats out of her way.

Star did not put me in the position of having to decide to put her down. That's a horrible decision to have to make even when you know it's in the best interest of the animal. Even when you know that is the only way to stop the pain and that there is no quality of life left for the animal.  I have had to make that decision more times than I care to remember. I've never regretted it but it's always really hard.  The first time my son had to decide to put an animal down it was his cat.  He said having to make that decision was the worst part of being an adult.  But Star, bless her heart, took care of it herself.

I will miss her.