Got by a goat

It would appear that we have our very own Dr. Doolittle in the house. Owen loves animals, or "a-mals", as he calls them. Last Monday, we took a trip to the zoo and while the carousel was still less than thrilling (just like our visit in the fall), he absolutely loved the petting zoo. He took no time whatsoever getting up close and personal with the goats and sheep.



















































Since that visit was such a hit, we decided to make the short trek over to the Yellow River Game Ranch today. Talk about close encounters with the wildlife! Within minutes of arriving, deer were eating out of our hands (and stroller).










































Owen was in heaven. He showed no fear at all and approached every "a-mal" he could find.














































































In fact, we had to be careful about which exhibits he wanted to visit.









It was great. All fun and games, UNTIL we met the little goat that changed it all...

Owen was happily feeding this little guy some broccoli and laughing about the whole experience.









But then the food ran out. When good goats go bad...




































The kid chomped our kid pretty good and, yes, there was even a bit of bloodshed. Mainly, the whole ordeal left Owen a bit shaken and now justifiably wary of "a-mal" mouths. For the rest of the visit, he was less enthusiastic about feeding the wildlife and didn't want to be too far from Mommy when the animals were around. The only exception were the rabbits. I suppose they seemed tame enough and Owen readily fed and petted the rabbits without fear of being chewed to pieces.















































Despite our "goating accident", the trip was a success overall. We would certainly go for a return visit and we remain hopeful that Owen will forget about his run-in with Billy the Kid.