The Lives of Henry & Joey

Henry (left): 29 January 1997 - 6 April 2013
Joey (right): 25 December 1996 - 8 March 2007
HENRY was born on 29 January 1997, and JOEY on Christmas Day 1996, both on a farm near Colchester, Essex, UK. They shared the same father but had different mothers, making them 'half-brothers'! We acquired them in May 1997.

Both Henry and Joey were extremely healthy goats, who had fantastic personalities and very much enjoyed their lives. I was nine when we initially got them, so I was lucky enough to be able to play with them and help look after them from a very young age. Have a look at the Caring for pygmy goats section for more info on how Henry & Joey were cared for, and how rewarding it is to look after pygmy goats.

Joey suddenly fell ill in early 2007, and despite immediate treatment from our local vet, his condition didn't improve. It was suspected he had a brain tumour but any operation wasn't likely to have been successful, so he was put down on 8 March 2007 to prevent him suffering.

Henry developed problems eating in early 2013, resulting in an operation being carried out by our local vet to file down teeth which had regrown awkwardly. However the operation didn't fully solve the problem, and without being able to eat much, Henry became weaker and could barely stand up. He was put down on 6 April 2013 before his deteriorating conditions caused him pain, as his old age and frailty meant further operations wouldn't have been successful.

It's clearly very sad to lose much-loved pets, but the memories of them will always be in existence. We also have plenty of photos and video footage of Henry and Joey, some of which can be seen in the Photos and Videos sections.