The Goat Show

We went to the Lebanon TN MGR show today.  I took Blue Moon who I am proud of because he is moonspotted and blue eyed and he thinks he is a puppy.  I gave him a bath yesterday and he looked beautiful in my opinion.  The rules online said to not shave your goat so he went in his fuzzy little baby coat.  We got there and over 3/4 of the goats were SHAVED of all winter hair.  We had 3 hours before our class so we tried to walk around and look at the other goats but Blue Moon would cry the minute I got out of his sight.  We finally just took him with us and even though he had never had a collar or leash on before he took it all in stride and we let him munch clover and dandelions periodically.  He laid down and slept at our feet while we watched the show.  When it was our turn he was a little gentleman and walked on the lead and didn't scream and cry like the others in our class.  He was the youngest and the smallest of the bucklings but he is also a triplet.  Anyways the judge called him too frail and we didn't win a ribbon.  I watched two of the other competitors who are teenagers and do this all the time jerk and yank their screaming goats around the ring.  I considered it total abuse but the judge placed them 1st and 2nd.  The rule book said that the "respectful treatment of the animals in and out of the show ring" was to be observed but I didn't see that at all.  I feel sorry for those goats who are never loved and petted and were obviously yanked out of the pasture and taken to a show where they were dragged until they looked like they were going to drop from heat exhaustion.  I feel sure that they are being fattened and then will be sold for slaughter when the time comes.   Blue Moon may not have won a ribbon but he has won my heart and he is a loved cherished pet to us and will live out his entire life on our farm as our future breeding buck.

         I made a sign for his pen.  Too bad he didn't stay in it more than 5 minutes!

                                        I think I am a puppy, aren't I??

We are in the middle and look how sweet he is being!

That is a blue ribbon baby if I have ever seen one.