Devastated after loved goat Dean kidnapped
‘We just want our baby back’ say pair who bottle-fed him from a week old
ANorthland couple have reached the end of their tether following the brazen kidnapping of their beloved baby goat Dean. Annalise Orchard and Alistair Nicholson are shocked and heartbroken their much-loved pet that they bottle-fed as a kid was stolen from their front yard in Kaikohe.
Even the family dog Moose, who grew up with Dean, is in mourning.
“He’s really missing him,” Annalise said.
“They would cuddle up and sleep together at night.
“I don’t understand why someone would take a goat. We both feel really gutted.
“Please bring back Dean, we just want our baby back.”
Alistair and Annalise were in their bedroom when the thieves struck on Sunday at around 11am.
Dean was tethered to his usual spot, at the front of the house, munching on the grass berm.
The thieves had undone the d-bolt on the fence which Dean was attached to via a cable.
“The last thing we heard was screaming when he got picked up. That’s the noise he makes as he doesn’t like being picked up — it’s like bleating but loud and fast.
“We could hear a car door open, him screaming and the car door close, then they drove off.
“Alistair went out the front, came back inside and said ‘Dean’s gone’.”
The couple bought Dean off Trade Me when he was one week old, intending him to be both pet and lawn mower.
Around the same time, they added Moose the Samoyed dog to the family. The animals have grown up together and are best friends.
Dean answers to his name, likes the odd car ride, and is a “sucker for head scratches”.
He equally enjoyed chowing down on the grass berm, near the sign outside the Mangakahia Rd property which reads: “Lawn mowing in progress. His name is Dean.”
“He’s a dear member of the family,” Annalise said.
“We bottle-fed Dean every three hours when we first got him, he was like a newborn.
“I didn’t sleep at all last night because I’m so worried about him. I just want to know he’s okay.”
The now four-month-old kid is popular with locals, who have thrown their support behind the couple’s plight on social media, hoping for Dean’s safe return.
The incident has been reported to police.
Annalise and Alistair are now hoping for a positive outcome, similar to one which resonated with the public late last year.
In that case, Peaches the therapy goat went missing from a Maungaturoto property.
She was found after Northland police investigated, and was spotted among a group of goats on a local property.
Peaches was returned to her owners just before Christmas.
In Dean’s case, a police spokesperson confirmed officers have received a report of a stolen pet goat.
“Police encourage anyone who may know where the animal is, or anyone with information that may help us get this pet back to its owners, to contact us on 105 quoting file number 200920/8859.”
Dean is described as a mostly white goat with a light brown face and a white stripe down the centre. He has little horns and a blue collar with a silver buckle.
● Anyone who has seen him is also asked to contact Annalise on 022 381 0741.
The last thing we heard was screaming when he got picked up. That’s the noise he makes as he doesn’t like being picked up — it’s like bleating but loud and fast. Annalise Orchard