Music creates a calming atmosphere as we accept our drinks and find a place away from everyone else to talk. There are lots of people, but I am not terribly interested in the crowd since I am more interested in discovering more about my date. We find a nice area next to the atrium which is filled with lush plants and appears almost jungle like in atmosphere. Inside, a large cockatoo bobs its head, spreading white wings and sporting a yellow Mohawk he eagerly displays. His claws cling to the perch, a stylized tree perch. Outside of the aviary, there are a few pictures of the animal’s owner and some pictures of them with their other animals and animals they have been in movies with. I walk over to see the goats, horses, sheep, cattle, dogs, cats, birds and other more exotic animals. I smile as I look over the animals and say “I really enjoy looking at these animals, I like how they’ve put this picture up of the herd of goats, and this fine stallion.” I wait for them to walk over and they look them over.
“I really wish I knew more about animals.” He says. “I have been obsessed with them ever since I was young. If I hadn’t gone into my current industry, I would have worked more with animals.”
“Perhaps if you had a chance to work with animals you would find it to be a passion. I was born on a farm, so I have worked with animals. We grew up with herds of rabbits, goats and horses, flocks of chickens and ducks, a pack of dogs, cats, mice, chinchillas, finches, a gaggle of geese and even a sheep.” He looks surprised but happy.
“You certainly had a lot of pets” He agreed.
I smile and nod in response “yes, a lot of pets indeed.”
“Which pet did you enjoy the most?” he asks, smiling, since he is pretty sure he knows the answer.
“I had an Arabian mare, named Camille. I owned many horses, but she was our first and last, and she grew up with us. She and I were the same age and we were trained together. I would ride her as much as I could even though she was more my mother’s horse. My horse was a gelding, named Star, but he was sold when I was 12, so after that I bonded mostly with Camille. Her sire was Bey el Bey and her dam, or mother was Royal Sateen, they were very good horses for the time. She was a very fast horse and loved to jump.” I smile as I remember how we would practice dressage, or race along, timing her incredible speed, and how sometimes we would take her over jumps.”
“You miss her, don’t you?” He laughs, I nod. “Tell me your favorite memory of her then.”
“Yes, she helped me a lot. She was always there to take us and the rest of the group where we wanted. When we lived behind Silverton State Park, we would ride up behind the house into the forest. It would be me and the strangest herd you’ve ever seen. Our dog, a Great Dane would always lead the way. Camille would follow and that meant the other horses would follow since she was lead mare. The goat doe would tag along inevitably. Even our cats would sometimes follow to see what we were doing.
“You had a goat!” he exclaims “I love goats!”
Laughing, I agree “I love goats too. My mom has bred and raised milk goats for many years. The one I speak of was our first goat, but there have been many, many more since then. The bucks, or breeding boys, since we don’t keep wethers, or altered males, always smell funny, but they are cute. I always enjoy when the does are freshening, or having their kids. I have been there many times when they have been kidding and I have helped birth or been present for lots of kids.”
“You really know a lot about goats.” He laughs. “I bet you even know how they digest food, I hear its really strange, like they have multiple stomachs!”
“Well, I can explain it if you like. The ruminant regurgitates their food, then they remasticate, or chew it. This allows for their stomach to process and ferment ingested food using bacteria and protozoa. These intestinal flora make enzymes that ferment and digest the plant. When the animal regurgitates the undigested food from its rumen to the mouth, it chews its cud and swallows it again. The ruminant stomach is divided into four parts, the rumen, reticulum, omasum and abomasum. Their stomach is divided into four parts. As the animal ages, their stomach changes since different chambers process differently. The abomasum is the true stomach, which is more similar to what monogastric animals have, and in baby ruminants, there is a reticular groove to move the milk to the abomasum. This is because the milk does not need to ferment as long as the vegetation it will consume as an adult. Goats are not the only ruminants, as there are about 150 species. Cattle, goats, sheep, yaks, deer, antelope, llamas, camel, giraffes and some macropods (marsupials) are all ruminants.”
“Thank you! I feel like now at least I know a little something about animals!” He grins widely as he looks up at the pictures on the wall. “I feel now like I am more familiar with them.”
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