Two miniature silky goats owned by Summerland resident Greg Krauter.

Image Credit: SUBMITTED/ Greg Krauter

A couple of goats are becoming celebrities in the Okanagan and the owner is loving the joy they are bringing to members of the public.

Summerland resident Greg Krauter and his two mini fainting goats have been spotted walking through city centres in Penticton, Summerland and Kelowna.

“People come running over to see them, sometimes a whole building clears out to come see,” he said. “My intention was to make the goats happy, not to make them famous."

Krauter initially purchased the goats earlier this year to manage trees and vegetation on his property, but when the snow came, he wanted to keep the goats active and happy, so he started taking them with him on errands.

A slow and consistent training process resulted in the goats travelling in a truck, and walking and stopping safely beside their owner in town centres, all without leashes.

“For the first three weeks I trained them to follow me in the yard,” Krauter said. “They followed me and never left the yard. I taught them to stop when I stopped by walking them to a bush and stopping. They knew to stop and eat the bush. When I stop at streetlights, they do too. People are really surprised when they see that.”

Krauter keeps the goats settled while travelling in the truck by providing big pieces of cardboard they chew on and play with.

Managing the goats’ bathroom needs while on errands takes careful planning.

“You have about 30 minutes before they have to go again,” Krauter said. “They are 24-hour eaters and 24-hour poopers. They have dry little pellets that drop as we are walking down the street.”

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Fainting goats get their name due to the tendency to stiffen and fall over when they are overly excited or nervous, which is due to a hereditary genetic condition.

Krauter said he has to be careful to keep his goats calm when they are out and about.

“They will faint if they are too shocked,” he said. “They are getting more used to the sounds of people and horns and traffic.”  

Two miniature silky fainting goats on owner Greg Krauter's truck.

Image Credit: SUBMITTED/ Greg Krauter

The two female goats called Miata and Lexus, were purchased from GottaGoat Farm in Penticton earlier this year that raises dozens of miniature silky fainting goats, including rescues.

“They (Miata and Lexus) were born on our farm in the spring,” said farm owner Jeff Campbell. “This breed is easy going and a nice little breed. They are not big jumpers and they take their time.”

GottaGoat Farm offers drop in tours for visitors in the warmer months along with goat yoga classes. Krauter’s goats are not the only ones from the farm who are cheering people up.

“We have other people in the Okanagan with our goats,” he said. “One is a teacher who brings her goat to school, and one takes goats to seniors’ homes that work as therapy animals. It is amazing to see Miata and Lexus cheering everyone up.” 

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Krauter likes the goats so much he is buying two more in the spring, with a long-term goal of having a herd of eight trained goats managing his property.

“I have a terraced yard and the best solution is these goats,” he said. “They are small and can handle the terraces. They like staying on the ground so will clear the bottoms of the evergreens.”

Okanagan residents can keep their eyes open for Krauter and a trail of four goats walking through towns in the summer.

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