Remembering Gandalf

 Today I must be the bearer of sad news.  Gandalf, Zoe's cart goat, did not survive his illness.  Gandalf was born May 10, 2010, and died May 18, 2011.  On Monday morning May 16, we discovered Gandalf unable to eat or drink, although he had been his usual loving self on Sunday evening at feeding time.  We immediately called the vet to make sure someone was in the office to see Gandalf, and had him there within 30 minutes.  The vet verified our suspicions of tetanus or listeriosis, and advised that the family go get tetanus boosters. The outlook was grim, but the vet gave several injections, and sent us home with 14 syringes of medication and directions for all of those plus more.  We gave Gandalf each shot at the appointed time, eight a day.  On Tuesday we were somewhat hopeful since Gandalf's tongue was no longer hanging out of his mouth.  We believed that this was an indication of a lessening of the facial paralysis he had.  We thought we could nurse him through to health. However, Gandalf left us Wednesday evening.

Gandalf 2 days old

We had a happy year with Gandalf and have some great memories of him. Zoe decided when Gandalf was only a few days old that she wanted to train him to pull a cart.  She read all of the available material about training a goat. She worked with him and developed the bond of trust that would be necessary.

Zoe and Gandalf  were buddies.

We often let Gandalf out to play with us. He was a family favorite.

During training, Zoe gave him lots of love and praise.

Zoe taught Gandalf well, and he learned quickly.  They spent many hours working together.                                                                  
Before his death, he knew and obeyed all of the command words he needed.  They had begun rein work.



We will miss our sweet goat, Gandalf.