Shorty died today.  She would have been 16 next month.  As Tom put it, she had a good run.  She was born one of 4 kids to Saphy and Yahoo on April 9, 2009.  She’s the second from the top in this photo.  Her real name is Shortcake.

Saphy’s Sherlock, Shortcake, Sugar Mag and Sophia April 2009

Her mother couldn’t keep up with enough milk for all 4 so on April 23 she was moved into the house and bottle fed.  She joined Peewee, a runt goat who was already being bottle fed in the house.  Here they are by our pellet stove.

Shorty and Peewee by pellet stove April 2009

Tom would bring them to work where the ladies there enjoyed feeding them.  They basically grew up together and were best buddies.

Shorty and Peewee November 2009

Shorty in snow January 2011

Photobombing Shorty April 2011

She did have issues with lice in 2011 which were treated and resolved.  But her hair looked a little sparse until it could grow back in.

Shorty eating spaghetti May 2011

In 2012 Peewee and her were bred to Bumble.

Shorty, Peewee and Bumble October 2012

And Shorty have birth to 2 kids, Velma and Scoobie, who looked a lot like their father.

Shorty’s kids April 2013

Shorty April 2013

Shorty, January 2014

In 2015 we started having issues with mites in her and a rescue wether we had, Billy.  I kept treating them, and it would appear to go away and then come back.

Shorty with hay in horns March 2017

Shorty begging January 2019

We tried various treatments with the help of our veterinarian, and at one point he suggested we bath her to help get rid of the built up scale.  I don’t think she liked it.

Shorty being washed September 2020

Old Shorty and Peewee December 2020

Unfortutnately Peewee died in 2021 so then Shorty was somewhat alone.  We had other goats, but they were not her buddy like Peewee was.  In 2022 the mites had started to affect her hooves’ growth, and they became deformed.  It was a struggle to trim them to normal.  I started using Vaseline on her legs.  I figured since it works for lice in humans, it probably works on the mites.  And since she kept get reinfected from the barn shavings, I figured it might help with that too.  And it did seem to.  But the damage on her hooves was already done.

Shorty 2023

Shorty enjoying water 2024

Piper petting Shorty February 2025

Her walking just got more and more difficult.  And right after the grandkids left last month, she laid down and couldn’t get up again.  We kept her as comfortable as we could as she didn’t seem to be struggling and really enjoyed being spoiled with treats.  But then this morning she was laying on her side and obviously not comfortable.  She barely ate her treats.  We had already scheduled the vet to come out Wednesday, but thankfully he was able to come by today.  She passed without any further suffering.

Shorty has been our all-time favorite goat.  She has always been friendly, engaged and cute.  I feel in love with those eyes.  She will be desperately missed.  Tom said he wished that goats could live longer.  And I agree.