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Over 100+ Mass. goats need homes, MSPCA says

The goats, along with a mustang and an emu named Jerry, are up for adoption through the MSPCA.

The herd includes 29 baby goats, or kids, and several goats with medical conditions. MSPCA-Angell

August 11, 2022

Over 100 goats need homes following a law enforcement investigation and seizure earlier this year, the Massachusetts Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, or MSPCA, at Nevins Farm announced Thursday.

The goats, along with a mustang and an emu, are up for adoption through the MSPCA. The herd includes 29 baby goats, or kids, and several goats with medical conditions.

“The sheer number of animals [in this case] and significance of their medical needs have stretched all of our space and staff resources to the max, but those challenges are worth it knowing that we are able to find them new loving homes,” Mike Keiley, director of adoption centers and programs at the MSPCA-Angell, said in a statement.

In January, the animals were seized from their previous owner, an unidentified Dighton resident, after failure to pay a court-ordered bond. The bond “allows entities such as the MSPCA and municipalities that are holding animals to cover the cost of caring for animals seized as part of cruelty prosecutions,” the MSPCA said. The owner is the subject of an ongoing law enforcement investigation.

Due to the nature of the animals’ conditions, they are in need of “special homes,” the MSPCA said, imposing several stipulations before an adoption can be approved. The goats must be the only ruminants on the property, or must be housed separate from other ruminants, and they must be adopted to homes in Massachusetts.

As for the emu, named Jerry, he must be placed in a home with other companion animals due to his attachment to the goats.

“One of the cutest things about Jerry is that he’s already lived with some goat friends, and he seems to really love them,” said Rachel Diersen, assistant manager of equine and farm animals at the MSPCA at Nevins Farm in the statement.

In a statement, MSPCA officials described Jerry the emu as an “entertaining presence on the farm.” *MSPCA-Angell*

The Nevins Farm team encouraged anyone willing to adopt to visit mspca.org/goats for more information. Anyone interested in adopting Jerry should visit mspca.org/nevinsadopt.