Our goats are here for a purpose — to provide milk for our dairy needs — but they each have become something of a pet, too.

I was surprised to find out how much like a dog — and how unlike some other dairy animals — goats can be: They each know their name, they will (usually) come when called, and they have a fascinating set of herd hierarchies that makes watching them interact quite entertaining. Our daily goat parade, moving the does from the night pen to the day pen, is now a neighborhood attraction.