Joker Has Moved On......

[AnimalFamily]

I guess the time has come to pay the Rainbow Bridge thread a visit. I knew this day would come eventually, I just hoped it wouldn't be so soon.
We recently lost our goat buck "Joker".
He was without a doubt the most incredible goat I have ever had the pleasure of knowing.
He was the first goat ever born here and besides being one "good-looker", had the most kind and gentle spirit [unless you were another buck, lol].
He took very good care of his 'ladies' and produced many beautiful babies over the years.
People used to express concern for our safety when handling him because he had a rather impressive rack. It was quite amazing however, to see just how cautious and aware he was regarding his rack. Moving his head ever so gently, not wanting to cause us harm. He was a pretty smart dude!!
He was very special to Bock as well. She would spend afternoons in the pasture with the goats and Joker was always her favorite.
I take comfort in the fact that he did pass quickly.
He is now basking in the sun in a huge field of tall grass where he is still "King of the Hill". A nickname we used often.
We will always miss you greatly but are thankful for the time we had together. You will aways have a very special place in our hearts!!
I thought if you don't mind I would post a few pictures of Joker so you could see just how special he really was:
[You can click on the picture to see the enlarged version]

"King of the Hill" ~~~ Nice rack, huh?
   

Young stud!!
   

Livin' the good life!!
   

Brrrrrrrr!!!!
   

The "salad days". [Also, the last pic we took of him this past summer]
   

.....Until we meet again old buddy....

[Libby]

Aww thats so sad. He looks happy in those pictures. How old was he?
Is he on his back in the brrr picture? it's so cute.

[Catherine]

I am so sorry about Joker.
He was one fine looking goat. And he sounds like he was a real gentleman. With those magnificent horns he must have stood out no matter where is was.
I am sure you will always miss him, but I am glad the end was peaceful. What a beautiful thought, Joker forever basking in the sun in a lush green field, just waiting for you to join him.

Rest in peace Joker. When the time comes love will bring you back together.

[LPC]

So sorry to read about Joker passing over. I add my condolences. Those are absolutely delightful photos! What a noble and gentle giant! Roam free on the astral, dear Joker!

[Tobi]

Dear Joker! He is such a handsome fella. Blessings to his spirit. You must miss him very much. He will be in a beautiful meadow, waiting for you to one day go there too.

[Knight of Albion]

May I add my condolences too. No matter how strongly one believes in the continuity of life, if still causes great sorrow to 'lose' a loved one, human or animal.

But as has been said, dear Joker has crossed the Bridge and is presently delighting in beautiful, lush meadows and pastures on the Other Side ...

[Catherine]

When an animal is a precious as Joker, his passing leaves a lot of empty space. I guess the size of the emptiness tells us how big a space his spirit occupied. There will always be a special space in your hearts for your love for Joker and his love for you.

[AnimalFamily]

Thank you all for the kind words. It really means a lot.
I must say, it has been a very difficult loss to deal with and I know it will take time for the pain to ease.
I also know that we are not alone in our feelings. Most of you have been in this same place at one time or another. Just knowing someone else can identify with just how much our animals mean to us is the greatest help. So thank you all again for your kindness, compassion, and patience while I 'gush' about our Joker.

Libby: Joker wasn't on his back in the "brrr" picture. It was just a weird angle from which Bock took the picture. Plus I think he had his front legs up on a short rock wall. That pic always cracked me up because the look in his eyes spoke volumes. Goats don't mind the cold but they are not big fans of snow, lol!!!
Joker would have been 8 years old this year.

[Catherine]

You are right, we have all been there and we know how hard the loss of a beloved pet is. It does help to talk about the one you have lost and we are all happy to listen and share your loss.
Joker was special. Talking about him makes the good memories more real and at some point the good memories become stronger than the pain of loss. Then you can remember without hurt the wonderful life you shared together.
The time you had with Joker was a beautiful, I just wish it could have been longer.

So goats don't like snow. They are obviously very sensible creatures.
The snow picture is good. I can't get over how amazing Joker's rack of horns looked.

[AnimalFamily]

Yes they are very sensible. I'm developing a certain disdain for the snow myself this particular winter!
I belong to a goat forum and one day just for fun we decided to have a competition as to who's goat had the biggest rack.
We all ran outside and measured our biggest buck's rack. Joker won that one!!
From time to time we sell a few of our goats. Without fail, every time someone would come to look at our goats, Joker was the one they wanted to buy.
I had the same reply every time: "Nope, not for sale. Never ever, sorry!!!"