Out of Office: Chrissy Neff

We have a small farm, because my husband raises cows. I always thought I wanted a goat, because you can’t really bond with cows. But a friend of mine [and] her son had a goat he was really fond of that he was showing at the fair. She messaged me, “You should buy this goat.” They talked me into it, and we bought [our first goat] Lightning at the fair.

Lightning is very loving, but he can be very demanding, and he’s very ornery. When I try to open the gate, he’s like, “Let me out!” And as I hold the gate, he starts headbutting it. He likes a lot of attention. Uni is still kind of skittish, and then Jerry [is] a very loving goat. Benjamin, my donkey, is adorable and very loving. He lets my daughter brush him.

My son has this video that’s hilarious. It’s of me trying to walk Lightning. He was having nothing to do with it. He did not want that halter on him. So, he literally stood on his two back legs and was trying to kick me with his front legs. After that, I was like, “No [more walks]!”

They’re pretty easy to take care of. [The goats] like to climb and that sort of thing, so I think [you should] just have a good area for them. We have these concrete blocks that they like to lay on outside. I would recommend goats for a small outdoor pet.—Tori Montbriand

Tori Montbriand is an editorial assistant with Independent Banker.