This Disabled Baby Goat Who Had His Horns Painfully Removed Finally Has a Reason to Be Happy

It is an unfortunate side effect of a larger problem in society that views most animals as commodities and that an animal who is born physically disabled is somehow defective. We hear stories of disabled “purebred” baby animals who are discarded by their breeder, who likely view the animal as a production failure rather than a living, breathing individual who simply needs to be cared for differently. Similarly, race horses who suffer injuries are often sent to slaughter because they can no longer make money for their guardian.

Lawson, the baby goat in the photo below, was born with a birth defect in his back legs. From the knee down, the bones are not attached, but rather, as described by Goats of Anarchy: “the bottom portion of both back legs just dangle.” This means that amputation and prosthetics will likely be Lawson’s best option, but fortunately, we know that animals with physical disabilities can lead happy lives with the Support of humans who want to help them.

Because Lawson was born this way, even veterinarians attempted to persuade his guardians to have him euthanized. One even pressured them into “disbudding” Lawson, a painful procedure in which a hot iron is used to remove the budding horns of baby goats. According to Goats of Anarchy, male goats like Lawson “almost always grow painful scurs [horns that regrow after debudding] after about a year old” due to testosterone. The scurs are very delicate and easily knocked off by goats, who love to headbutt. When scurs fall off, it causes extreme pain and bleeding for the goat. In addition to that, scurs can be very dangerous to their health — regrown horns may curl and grow back into the goat’s skull. Horns are very important to regulating the heating and cooling system in a goat’s body, so Lawson will likely face a lifetime of complications because of this cruel, normalized practice.

Everyone told Lawson the baby goat’s guardians to have him euthanized because of his disability. Thanks to Goats of Anarchy, Lawson will have the chance to grow up.

Lawson is lucky to have such compassionate guardians who realized that, not only does this baby goat deserve to live the best possible life, but also that they are not the best ones to give it to him. Thankfully, they reached out to Goats of Anarchy, who will be more than happy to welcome Lawson into their extended family.

To learn more about Goats of Anarchy and the work they do to help goats, visit their official website.

All image source: Goats of Anarchy/Facebook