A Goat’s Tale: Chester’s Life of Love, Lessons, and Letting Go

This story was submitted by Sadie Ohlin, an 11-year-old, who won Top Junior Story and read it at the Maricopa County Celebration of 4-H Youth awards ceremony on Nov. 9.

Hi! My name is Chester. I was four months old when a little girl took me to her home. That day was a normal day until a man took me out of my pen and placed me on a big green table. I knew the man because he helped my mother birth me and as I got bigger, he gave me food and water every day. On the day I left, there were a bunch of people surrounding the green table I was on. They all kept shouting. After my turn was done, the man put me back in my pen. Just as I was getting comfortable again, somebody else took me out of my pen. This time, it was the girl who took me away in a big metal box (trailer) with two other goats. I cried all the way home. There, my girl’s dad carried me to a new pen that was surrounded by other goat pens. I knew this new place was home.  

My girl spent a lot of time getting to know me at first. She would talk to me and cuddle. Then, she would take me out of my pen to walk me. I never wanted to, so I jumped everywhere. I tried to tell her I didn’t want to do it, but she never listened. She insisted on me learning to walk on a rope. The work didn’t get easier from there. My girl started trying to make me stand still for a LONG time. Even though the work was hard, I started to grow fond of my girl and I could tell she loved me. As I grew bigger, I started getting good at my job. That sure didn’t mean that I liked it though. 

My girl and her family took me and the other two goats to all sorts of places. It was always the same. We would go there, get out of the trailer, do what we practiced, get back in the trailer, and go home. We would do that once or twice a month. The worst part about it was right before the show, my girl, with the help of her dad, would put sticky stuff on my legs. I didn’t like it! 

One day, we were getting ready to go to a different place. Instead of looking excited, my girl looked horribly sad. I knew this one was different but I didn’t know why. At first, it was like all the other times. At the end, I was so excited to go home but instead, I slept there. I couldn’t sleep at all. My girl came every day to feed and visit me, though. After a couple days, came the worst day of my life. I remember my girl giving me a lot of cuddles. A little while later, my girl and I walked into a big ring. There was a bunch of hollering, then it was done. Later that day, my girl came in my pen crying. She hugged me for a looooong time. Somehow I knew, this was goodbye so I just laid next to her. 

In the middle of the night, the same man who fed me when I was young, put a rope on my face and took me to a huge metal box with other goats. I was really stressed and confused, but I was glad I had friends with me. To calm my nerves, I thought about all the special times I had with my girl. We would play and snuggle. She took care of me. We even fought a little but I know she loved me and I loved her. I had a good life.