Having pets lowers children’s food allergies; and a sneaky animal that says, ‘I don’t know how I goat here!’

I’ve always found goats to be friendly, affectionate creatures who actually make pretty good pets …. and they keep the weeds down in the yard.

Gordo breaks, er, moves in

Imagine coming home from vacation to find your home broken into and, more disturbing, the perp never left. That’s what happened to the Mould family in Prince George, British Columbia. After a warm and relaxing vacation in Mexico, the Moulds returned to find someone had broken into their workshop and trashed the place. When they opened the door to the shed, there staring them down was a large goat. Gordo, named for convenience, not affection, had decided to escape the cold in his own indomitable way by breaking the door and moving in. And he was not about to leave; Gordo took over their yard and trotted around as if he owned the place. Attempts were made to find Gordo’s owners but it was clear Gordo had found his new home and was not giving up easily.

Gordo’s face would pop up at the windows of their house as he attempted to join them inside. He apparently had been part of someone’s family and had run of the place. Tanya Mould was not having it and contacted an animal rescue group to find an appropriate farm setting for the fellow. “I’m not a farmer and am terrified of goats, actually.” Gordo was moved to a farm while the search for his owner continues. Tanya said, “I kinda miss his shenanigans already… not enough to want a goat, though.”

Cinnamon and Felix

The Wake County Animal Shelter in Raleigh, NC, took in an odd couple recently. Apparently, Felix, a hefty pit bull, and Cinnamon, a goat, lived with their owner at his home but needed care for ten days while he was in the hospital. The shelter took them in but ran into trouble when they separated them—Cinnamon became very agitated when she was placed in a run away from Felix. The only way the staff could keep her happy was to keep them together.

“Cinnamon follows Felix everywhere and it was clear they were raised together,” Jennifer Federico, the shelter’s director of animal services, said. “You don’t even need to put a leash on the goat—she’ll simply go where Felix goes. When she became upset, we knew they had to stay in the same holding pen.”

After it was clear that the owner was not going to be able to take his pets back, the shelter made it its mission to find a home where the two could be together. Offers to adopt came pouring in and eventually the shelter found them a good home on a farm… together.

The full story of Cinnamon and Felix, including a heartwarming video, can be read here.

Cats and dogs can be good for your children’s health

A recent study found that children living with cats and dogs have a lower risk of developing allergies.

Newborns who live in a home with cats or dogs appear to be less likely to develop food allergies, according to the findings of a large study. The benefit holds even if the exposure is during fetal development when a pregnant mother lives with pets.

Exposure to dogs or cats during fetal development or during infancy lowered the odds of a food allergy later in life by about 14 percent. The study was done on 65,000 children in Japan and was in line with other studies done in recent years. It is also in keeping with studies that have shown children who have grown up on a farm are less likely to develop food allergies.

Forget antidepressants and probiotics, I always knew that the best thing for my health was my cats and dogs, and now the scientists have proved it!

Another of Dr. Karel’s all-time favorite videos

Do you have a story to share? Please send it to me using the form below. Thank you!

Name *

First

Last

Email *

Comment or Message *

File Upload

Click or drag a file to this area to upload.

Submit

##RVT1099