When Beverly Taub and her husband, Joel, retired, they moved to the country. It's there that she's finally been able to live out her dream of having a horse and where she acquired her favorite living pieces of backyard 'machinery.'

"I was in horse heaven," said Beverly, who in addition to owning two horses and a donkey, has fostered at least 30 rescue horses over the years. "And my fence line was in bad need of clearing, so I decided I wanted a couple of goats."

Joel said no for several years, not wanting anything else that would be a potential vet bill, the Taubs already had six dogs and a cat on top of the horses and donkey. Instead, Joel offered to buy Beverly a weed wacker, but last year he finally had to give in.

"He made the mistake of asking me what I wanted for my birthday, and I said 'goats' without any hesitation," Beverly said. "As it always goes, in the end, I got my goats. How could he deny me my birthday present?"

WEED, WACKER & DR. PEPPER
Beverly got two pygmy baby goats that she appropriately named Weed and Wacker.

"Wacker is my spoiled brat," said Beverly. "If I don't move fast enough for him with feed, he gets behind me and 'helps me' move faster by butting the back of my legs."

Wacker is also very attached to Beverly and gets upset when she tends to her other animals.

"When I muzzle my founder horse, Gypsy, before turning her out to pasture, Wacker will keep pushing me away from her if he isn't locked up," Beverly said. "If that doesn't work he stands up on my back and pulls my hair from behind."

Wacker isn't always a bully about his affection for Beverly. When she leaves the barn and he doesn't want her to, he gets behind her, puts his front feet on her back, and 'walks' with her to the gait.

"It's our private Congo line dance," Beverly said.

Even though Weed and Wacker are good friends, playing and sleeping together, if Weed tries to come near Beverly, Wacker butts him away.

"Poor Weed has given up trying to get special attention, but he's my good boy," Beverly said. "He mostly stands on the sidelines and watches Wacker's antics. When Weed does feel mischievous though, he likes to chase my barn cat, Miss Attitude, or my hen, Chik."

A few months after getting Weed and Wacker, Beverly acquired Pepper when a friend wanted to find a new home for her pygmy.

"At first I had so much trouble remembering his name, until he cut his leg one day," Beverly said. "When I went out to take care of him I said I was going out to doctor Pepper, and that I could remember—Dr. Pepper!"

All three of Beverly's goats are wethers because she doesn't want to breed, milk or do anything more with them than play and enjoy.

TEMPERAMENTAL 'TOOLS'
Joel does agility with his Labrador Retrievers and Beverly flyball with her Pomeranians, so they set aside some land for a field.

"We have tried several times to get my 'weed wackers' to maintain the fence line around our agility/flyball field, but because the horses are not allowed on it, my spoiled pygmy goats won't stay in, jumping the 4-foot fence to get with back the equines," Beverly said. "But I love them anyway. No one ever said my goats are perfect!"

Beverly has tried several Purina Mills feeds with her goats, but their favorite has always been Purina Mills Goat Chow® feed.

"They are used to the sweet feed and rebel over any changes," Beverly said. "Who knew goats could be so picky?"