Social media is often abuzz with posts about lost pets, but a recent plea from local photographer Stephanie Gravel stood out because three of her goats had gone missing from their McPhail Rd. home in St. Andrew’s West.
On July 22nd, Gravel and her family spent the day swimming at her mother’s house. Her sister returned home around 6 pm and discovered the goats had vanished from their outdoor enclosure. “It appeared that they broke out of the wired fencing,” Gravel explained. “My sister called us all right away, and we went as fast as we could to search for our beloved goats before the sun went down.”
The family and their neighbours searched until 12:30 am with no luck, only finding traces of the goats eating grape vines on the other side of the fence. The next day, Gravel knocked on doors up and down the road, but no one had seen the animals. Neighbours also reviewed their security footage but found no clues.
The six-month-old goats are special to the family. “We went to visit Vanderland Barnyard Zoo Farm in Winchester back in May and fell in love with these goats,” Gravel said. They are very social, easy to maintain, and have funny personalities.”
The disappearance left Gravel heartbroken. “I felt very sad, heartbroken, and defeated, thinking we were never going to have them back. We missed them so much, our hearts were empty without them. I was also worried about their safety.”
However, the story took a joyful turn when the goats were found and returned home a week later, on July 29. “I was in disbelief that they were found and was relieved that they were safe and that they were going to return to us,” Gravel said, recounting the emotional reunion.
“I cried happy tears and stopped everything I was doing to wait for them to arrive! They arrived in an OPP cruiser, and we were so happy to see them. We gave them big hugs, fed them treats, and brought them back to the barn.” The goats’ safe return brought immense relief to Gravel and her family.
