Why These Fainting Goats May Be the 'New Dogs for People'
Gawkers visit from far and wide to see the goats "pass out."
— -- Fainting goats might be the country’s new favorite pet. At least that’s what Aspen Acres ranch owner Lillian Pauls thinks.
Pauls has been selling fainting goats at her Fresno County, California, ranch for the past six years and has no plans to stop soon.
“Someone mentioned to me they thought these goats were the new dogs for people because you can train them to walk on a leash,” Pauls, 87, told ABC News today.
“They’re very intelligent. They get jealous and happy and sad and angry,” she added.
The goats tense up and stumble over whenever they’re excited or just at random times, tossing their straight legs up into the air, Pauls said.
“Their eyes stay open and they’re down for a minute or so,” she said. “You never know when it’ll happen but when they see us coming with the feed, they get so excited they’ll faint.”
Pauls said she sells her odor-free female fainting goats for $350 and the males for $275 and has already sold four of her herd this summer.
“I like to sell them two at a time since they’re herd animals,” she said. “People are absolutely thrilled with them.”
Even if people don’t come to buy the fainting goats, Pauls said they bring in visitors from around the world who want a good chuckle.
“I’ve given tours to people from Russia, Germany and China,” she said. “For some reason, people from Los Angeles love to drive up here and see the goats pass out.”