Our beloved Stewie finally gave in to his illness on October 18th, 2012. Dr. Nate Harvey was surprised that he had lived so long with his debilitating disease, but this never surprised any of the volunteers at TGMR. Stewie loved his herd and his human friends and he just didn’t want to leave us. We will miss this gentle soul who touched so many lives.
Stewie’s Story:
A Nubian goat by profession, Stewie came to the Gress Mountain Ranch two years ago. He came from Carol Holder, the goat lady of the Lehigh Valley, who is well-known for breeding and raising goats.
Stewie’s most distinctive feature is his large floppy ears that he is happy for other animals to chew on. The brown and white goat is a gentle creature and fond of his fellow goats, Little Willie, Rascal, Katrina, and Target. Together this group is know as the Fab Five. They may be only a few in number, but they are the leaders of the goat herd.
Early in his time at the Gress Ranch, Stewie was appointed the herd babysitter. It was his job to protect the baby goats from being bullied by the larger goats and the horses. Stewie took his job seriously and the baby goats took to Stewie. They paid him for his work by jumping all over him and nipping his big ears.
Stewie worked some other jobs at the ranch, such as walking in the local Halloween parade and greeting ranch guests upon arrival. While he is good at greetings, he was really bad with parades. “Not comfortable or have enough confidence for parades,” says Kathryn Gress, “he just gets anxious.” Kathryn even tried bribing him to parade by giving him a blueberry water ice. This did nothing for his anxiety but he did have lovely blue lips.
Other work performed by Stewie was assisting the veterinarian at the Annual Summer Ranch Camp. Stewie played the part of the “patient,” allowing the children who attend camp to see a how a Vet treats animals. Stewie also participated in a fundraising event by presiding over a table at a local flea market. He sold many items for the benefit of the animals at the Gress Ranch.
Today, even though he is only four years old, Stewie’s health is in decline. A problem that he was born with known as Coprine Arthritis Encepholocopy or CAE is now causing him to age prematurely. The condition is painful. It has caused him to lose weight and it makes it difficult for him to get around. However, that doesn’t stop him from looking for his friends, and spending as much time as possible with the other four of the Fab Five. This is what makes Stewie the happiest Nubian goat in Pennsylvania.