One Happy Goat

In 2016, twenty-nine goats were shot and killed at the Lubbock Independent School District Ag Farm. It was a horrific scene and an act of pure cruelty. I remember hearing the story on the news and was completely disgusted by such an inhumane act. My heart broke for the faculty and students that cared for those harmless animals. It was such a terrible loss for LISD and something I will never forget as a citizen of Lubbock.

Quotes from an article written by everything Lubbock:

“Our vet tech class took care of them, they kidded them out they were birthed. Some of them, they’ve been bottle since day one and then some of them in the pasture that were killed were some that have just been raised, and the class had been taking care of it so, they’d been taking care of it since August,” Green explained.

Green said most of the goats were younger than six months.

“It was absolutely just meanness,” Sharp said.

"We’re here to just teach kids how to take care of an animal and what it’s like to live on a farm and work hard with these animals and killing them and hurting them this way is not okay,” Caprole said.

“I knew each of [the goats] personally, and they knew that I was there to care for them. And, not having anyone to care for anymore hurts,” she added.

“I have helped a goat learn how to walk and it was so happy, and it loved me and I loved him. and just knowing that, it’s gone now. Just from a simple, stupid idea of shooting goats, it hurts,” Caprole said.

I took this photo on September 13, 2019 at the LISD Ag Barn, just 3 years after that horrendous day. The goats ran up to the fence and wanted nothing but to be loved on. I watched them for a good 40 minutes while they ran around, jumped on some sort of plastic container, and grazed on the grass. I just could not image the horror that student saw in 2016. However, I was so excited to see a field full of happy goats and thankful they allowed me to take their photo.