Ethics in the Goat Business - Part 1

Buyer Beware

Ethics is an important topic for anyone in business. What I have learned in my first 3 years of owning goats, is that not everyone knows what ethical behavior is, or conducts their business with ethics in mind. It doesn't matter where someone comes from, or what profession one has, ethics are something you either have or you don't.

I am providing my first buying experience of registered animals is an illustration of an unethical seller taking advantage of a new or unsuspecting buyer.

In July 2003, I had placed an ad on some of the goat groups that I belonged to looking for a grade doe. I already had 3 grade does and I was looking for one more. A lady emailed me privately and offered me 2 registered goats, she would deliver them the next day. The price was right, the questions I asked were promptly answered, and the pictures of the animals I requested seemed to be right.

These were to be my first registered animals, and I was very excited to see them. Never seeing Nubians before, when they arrived the next day I did not know right away that their growth was a bit stunted.

During the correspondence that I exchanged with the breeder, I had asked many questions. The main question was whether or not the does were registered. I was assured that they were. Not knowing anything about ADGA at the time, I agreed to the purchase.

Through all of the anticipation, my 2 darlings arrived in the back-seat of the breeder's cars, where they had been riding on her children's laps. The goats were well mannered, and were on leads. They had a gloss to their coats, however the goats were very small.

I was told that these were show quality goats when I bought them, and they were kept slim in order to show, only later to find out their thin bodies was attributed to not being fed properly.

The breeder and her family stayed for a couple hours, and gave me information on upkeep, feeding, and worming for these 2 goats. Things seemed to be going well until it was time to sign over the papers. At that time I was told that the ears on the does had not been tattoo'd because one letter she needed was missing from her tattoo kit. Not understanding the rules for tattooing I didn't think it was too much of a problem. She pulled out some paperwork, and then told me that the goats were not papered, but they would be if I sent the papers in with the appropriate fees. She assured me this is common practice, and again I thought nothing of it.

After she left, I was reading through the paperwork that she left for me and found out that she had signed the paperwork on the wrong line. I emailed her right away and she told me to send them to her and she would sign them and return them to me. I promptly sent her the paper, with a return envelope. Weeks went by and I did not receive the papers. I was starting to get a little upset over the fact that I had paid money for these goats and could not get their papers.

During this same time frame I found out that one of the does that I received had not been weaned properly. All she wanted to do was cry. I kept asking the breeder why she was crying all of the time, and she said that Nubians did that all the time to get used to it. My Mom, who has been around farm animals all her life told me that something was wrong with a baby that would cry all the time.

The neighbors would call thinking that there was a child in distress, only to chuckle when they found out it was my Nubian doeling.

I finally decided that maybe she just was too hungry. I made her a bottle of milk and this doeling took to it like she had been starved to death. She had foam on both sides of her mouth, dropped to her knees and sucked that bottle dry in a matter of seconds. She stopped crying!

My Mom was in tears by this point and told me that there is no way that this baby had been weaned properly. She opened her mouth and looked at her teeth, and saw the tiny milk teeth. Her sister was more robust and developed than she was.

So three times a day I would feed this little girl her bottle. Had I not fed her these supplements she would have surely died.

Getting the papers on these does would have been a nightmare had it not been for a kind lady in Washington who served on the ADGA Arbitration Board. I was no longer getting information from the woman that I bought the goats from, and the rumors were flying as to her unpleasant background. The breeder cited for me rules out of the ADGA handbook that would have prevented me from seeking assistance from the Arbitration Board. By not tattooing these animals, that technically would have prevented me from seeking a decision from the Arbitration Board through ADGA.

I had found out later from other folks who had either bought or sold animals from the same breeder that she and her family had moved from state to state and it was common practice for her to neglect and harm her animals. I had been told outlandish stories of state officials rescuing abandoned animals left by this person. After further research, I found out she had been investigated by a number of agencies for a number of serious crimes including being in this country illegally. Her husband was also wanted for felony charges.

At the time I purchased my goats, a few other individuals also bought goats from her. Many of these animals were infested with worms and were badly malnourished. One breeder in particular had to donate the animals to a petting zoo due to the fact they could not be bred since they were infested with worms so much that it caused them to become sterile or unable to carry full term pregnancies.

Thankfully, after a lot of correspondence, I was able to get the papers for my 2 goats. However, the process was delayed because the breeder had not settled her account the year before and owed ADGA quite a bit of money. That did not have anything to do with me, but I was not issued my papers until she settled her account.

I do not hold any hard feelings toward this person at this time because I have the benefit of owning and loving 2 does that wouldn't have had a fighting chance otherwise. They are blossoming and developing into quite beautiful does. I have learned a great deal from this experience, and will be more cautious in the future when purchasing sight unseen animals.

The reason for me sharing this story is to illustrate for you the importance of full disclosure when selling an animal. The truth is always the best policy, even if that means losing a sale.

If you are in business to buy and sell registered animals, you really need to be educated in the rules for the organizations of which they are registered. Selling animals knowing full well that you are violating the regulations is dishonest, and could cost you your membership in the organization for violating those regulations.

As a new goat owner, there are things that I should have been aware of and asked prior to committing to purchase the goats.

The following is a list of things you should ask a seller when making a decision to buy a goat(s):

Asking for current photos from either side, and front. (some images can be deceiving)
Shot, worming and overall care records
Show records, milking records, pedigree information
CAE and CL information (you want negative reports on any animal you consider)
Feeding regimen including grain and hay (rations and brands)
Tattoos in the ear (Make sure papers match tattoos)!
Ask for references!

In my case, had I asked for references, I would have more than likely been persuaded not to purchase from this breeder.

Hind sight is 20/20, and I have learned a lot from this experience. However, even the most well intended person can have problems with a sale/purchase if the person selling the animals is not being ethically responsible.

Selling animals that are chronically sick, have birthing problems, or problems with coccidiosis, without disclosing that to the potential buyer is unethical. Anything and everything that you know about the animal good or bad should be disclosed so that the buyer may make an educated decision based upon the information given. Even if that means losing a potential sale, your reputation for being an ethical breeder should be worth more than the cost of an animal.

The goat world is a very small community of breeders. A buyer is more inclined to tell all of their friends about you if they have a positive buying experinece. A buyer will tell the world if they have a negative buying experience.

Sellers Beware

Buyers are not always the only victims when it comes to buying and selling animals. Over the last few years I have heard a lot of stories regarding sellers that have been taken to the cleaners by buyers.

One of the biggest issues has to do with payments. How many sellers do you know of took a payment only to have the check bounce and the person who wrote the check nowhere to be found? Many goat breeders that I have talked to now only accept either Paypal or a Certified Check/Money Order.

What about the buyer who agrees to payment terms, takes the animal home only to forfeit and not make the payments as agreed? To avoid this scenario, if you plan on working out a payment plan, do not relinquish the animal or it's papers until the payments have been made in full. This way you are not out anything if the person does not follow through on payment terms.

Another problem is with buyers who purchase an animal, do not care for it properly, and then expect you to refund the purchase price or take back the animal. To avoid this scenario, it is a good idea to provide a clearly written Bill of Sale at the time of purchase. The Bill of Sale should include the condition that the animal was in when it left your premises, what policies you have for refunds or exchanges, and a specific period of time where you may entertain the notion to exchange. Putting all of your terms in writing will save you hassles and heartaches at a later date.

When in doubt, ask lots of questions. Write down any and all pertinent information regarding a specific transaction prior to the closure of the transaction. The written word is hard to dispute when you have appropriate documentation that both the buyer and seller have signed and dated.

© 2004 Danielle Westvang All Rights Reserved

Permission was granted to Goat Biz Magazine to publish this article.