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To the editor: ,
A reply to the neighbor whose dog killed our goats: We feel somewhat silly asking a newspaper to publish a letter concerning an event which must be of little or no interest rtO- the vast majority of Rappahannock News readers, yet the statements and feelings expressed in Mrs. Arnold’s letter of March 31 were so totally biased that we feel a response is required.
First of all, it is simply naive to even suggest that Raffles did not take part in the slaughter of our goats. Surely you don’t believe that little Fescue could inflict such damage acting on her own while Raffles stood by and watched? Or perhaps you think some pack of wild dogs (who have never been seen before or since) came down from the mountains, killed the goats and departed, leaving Raffles and Fescue sitting, innocently in the pen wondering what to do next? Hardly likely.
And before the readers shed too many tears over the untimely demise of Raffles and Fescue, let us take a brief look at the results of these two fun loving “friends” afternoon:
Bobby arrived home to find the two dogs in our goat pen feeding on the freshly killed body of a goat whose birth and development we and our young son had watched through the past year. The dead goat’s brother lay between two piles of brush, unable to stand.
The two pregnant females, badly wounded and literally shaking from their ordeal, stood over the young male, trying their best to protect him. We fed and watered the youngster by hand for four days, until he was finally able to stand and move on his own. It appears he will recover.
One female gave birth to two kids three days after the killing. She could nurse only one, however, due to mastitis resulting from her wounds. Despite our supplemental bottle feedings, the weaker kid died after two days. The veterinarian sutured the female’s udder, and she has received daily injections and infusions of antibiotics, but the injury is severe and her prognosis is bleak.
The second female gave birth, or rather tried to, four days after the attack. She somehow managed to expel one kid, but was too weak to stand or care for the newborn. Bobby had to don surgical gloves and physically extricate the other two kids. The medication she received in a futile attempt to save her life prevented milk production, but fortunately we found a home for her kids. She died two days later.
Mrs. Arnold, you dismissed our goats as though they are nothing but livestock to us. They may not be our “constant companions” or a “safe ha-, ven of stability,” but they are the only pets our son has known, and they were friendly, gentle creatures who would run to their gate to greet us as we drove up the drive. It has
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