Welcome to the Wednesday Dogs of Dogster! Every Wednesday, we share a story from one of our Dogsters. This week is about Nicole and her two rescue dogs, Mac and Rosa.
If I had my way, I’d have a zoo full of rescue animals, though if you asked my husband, he’d say I already have my wish. He’s not entirely wrong; having two rescue dogs, a rescue cat, and a toddler (and a husband) definitely feels like a zoo some days!
Jokes aside, because we travel often, we have held off getting any other animals because that makes going away and finding a house sitter a little more difficult.
But a few weeks ago, a friend of mine’s goat had triplets, and the runt was struggling to get enough milk. He had a broken leg (his mama accidentally stepped on it) and he wasn’t able to beat his brother and sister to feed with his injury, so she asked if we’d be able to hand-rear him until he was ready to wean, and I jumped at the chance!
Our daughter named the goat Nummit (we chose to spell it Namat to make it sound more Sanskrit than Gibberish), and the little guy fit right in from the moment we brought him home. There was even serious talk about keeping him, especially when we saw how much he loved his dog friends.
How did the dogs feel about it? Have a look!
Mama Rosa?
Rosa is a mom, but she had puppies on her first heat when she was 6 months old and was in a very traumatic situation with them. While we sometimes see her kind and loving maternal instincts, more often, she reminds me of an overworked, overwhelmed, exhausted mom who just needs five minutes to go to the bathroom alone. She’s there to watch and ensure the safety of her siblings but is annoyed that the kids won’t just follow the rules so she can go and relax for a moment.
That didn’t change when Namat arrived. She thought he was cute, but immediately went into action mode, following him and barking when he would climb on things; she was stressed. Luckily, out of sight, out of mind; as soon as she was inside the house (where Namat was not allowed), she found her peace.
We had Namat with us for five weeks, and she definitely relaxed around him, but for the most part, he was an extra responsibility she did not ask for, so she didn’t really engage. They would play in the fields together a bit, but theirs was not an interspecies friendship to make the heart melt. Mac, on the other hand…
Mac the Friendly Giant
When Mac joined our family we made it clear that he was at the bottom of the pecking order (which sounds worse than it is; we basically just feed him last all the time). We did this to help keep our cat and Rosa comfortable, so they weren’t threatened by someone new coming into their world. With Mac being so big, it is also helpful that he understands his size doesn’t get used to his advantage.
Because of his gentle nature, though, this was more of a natural progression anyway. He confidently accepted his position as the little brother in the family (even to the tiny cat), and when our daughter came along, he immediately knew his role was to love and protect.
Yes, he’s still a dog, and a big dog at that, so new introductions in particular are always done with care. But, his big soft heart always has him caring for the little guy, even if he’s annoyed about it.
When Namat turned up, Mac was intrigued and ready to play. Namat was only a week old and had a splint, though, so we had to supervise the play. Namat was also a hungry little lad and took to Mac faster than we’d expected, mostly because of the dangly bit hanging from his undercarriage that he thought might just be a nipple.
Mac let him know it was not a few times, but always politely and gently. When the games were over, the two took over our outdoor couch. The snuggles were too cute to handle some days (and you can probably see why there was so much discussion about permanently welcoming Namat into our family).
Dogs and Goats
I don’t have a lot of experience with dogs and goats, but from my little amount, I think it’s safe to say that goats are similar to dogs in many ways, and kids are very much like puppies. They love to challenge boundaries and get into trouble, doing it while being so cute that it’s hard to get mad. What’s even more wild is that at only 1 week old they are running, jumping, and essentially self-sufficient except for needing bottle feeding. By 4 weeks, they’re eating grass and leaves and need very little milk. It was fascinating to watch.
Like dogs, goats are very social creatures. It was hard because Namat thought he was a dog, but had different rules from the dogs (mostly, coming inside the house). If we were to keep him, he’d need goat friends. So, from one goat, we’d need probably two more, and then we have a small herd, and that was way too much for our little zoo to take on at this time. Because if we have three goats, why not also a couple of alpacas and a donkey? Why not some guinea pigs as well? Then the real zoo starts and we are outnumbered!
But it was very clear that dogs and goats can and would be friends if given the opportunity. Mac wants to chase the wild goats that come onto our property, but I think that’s more of a ‘this is my land and I am here to protect it’ vibe, whereas any friend brought into the home is immediately his friend.
Do you have any interspecies friendships in your home that you want to share?
I can’t get enough of them, so I am always so happy to watch Mac bond with other animals. He’s my main argument for fostering animals; he loves it. But with Rosa indifferent to it, she keeps us in balance—I think she and my husband have secret meetings about it to keep Mac and me in check.
So for now, the ‘zoo’ is back to normal. But, my same friend who let us help with Namat is fostering three puppies that were dumped on the side of the road and is bottle-feeding them now…we got to help last week…maybe we could bring them home?
This article features Nicole, Mac, and Rosa in our Wednesday Dogs of Dogster series.
