In 2017, my husband and I had a small farm in Georgia with 2 horses, 2 donkeys, chickens, dogs, and cats. We decided to add goats to the menagerie and found a breeder of Nigerian Dwarf Goats. At first we were going to start with two does and add bucks later to breed them. But, the pictures of Murrell and another buck kid (Simon) were too cute to pass up. So we got four 10-day old kids and bottle fed them. We had the boys wethered (neutered) to prevent premature mating and it was an excellent decision. Wether goats are the sweetest and Murrell was no exception. He was the leader of the pack, the most intelligent, and so, so affectionate. In 2018, we moved back to our home state of NC, and I packed the 4 goats into the backseat of my truck and drove them from Georgia to Marshville. It was a sight! Murrell continued to be the leader and I would always call him my Murrell-Man. I don’t like to say “favorite” with any of my animals, but, well, Murrell was my favorite goat. In 2022 he developed a lump on his chest. My veterinarian thought it was caseous lymphadenitis (CL) and there was nothing to be done. Murrell was healthy otherwise and it didn’t seem to bother him. In the fall of 2022 he started losing weight so I drove him to another veterinarian who knew more about goats. He removed the lump and had it tested for CL. It came back negative. A full blood panel done in January 2023 showed a massive infection of some kind and we started a round of antibiotics and iron supplement. At one point I thought for sure every night would be his last. But, I fed him massive amounts of fresh vegetables and fruit, gave him supplements daily, and lots of TLC. He was very thin but seemed to be on the mend. I took him back to the vet for a recheck of his blood in late May 2023. It showed he still had something bad going on and confirmed that we were probably looking at cancer. Just a few days later, he went downhill again. On the morning of May 30, he didn’t want to leave the barn so I sat with him. He came over to where I was sitting and put his head on my lap. I loved on him for some time, but had to leave to pick up more antibiotics for him. I now know that he was saying goodbye. When I returned, I found him in his stall, gone but at peace. I was devastated. I knew I wanted him cremated but didn’t know how to go about it without a veterinarian involved. I called Pet Passages and at first got a recording. I was so upset I just hung up. 10 minutes later they called me back and I had my answer. Sam walked me through the process and actually came to the house to pick Murrell up. It was very dignified and I am forever grateful. To some people, Murrell would be just a goat. To me, he was so much more. He will always be in my heart.