Lala - My Spirit Animal

# Lala: The Goat Who Slowly Became Family ### A Story About the Unexpected Bond Between a Man and His Bakra **Tags:** Sindhi Goat, Bakra Farming, Goat Raising in India, Goat Care, Qurbani Bakra, Emotional Bond with Animals, Goat Farming Blog, Goat Behavior --- ## Sometimes a Goat Becomes More Than Just a Goat Over the years, I have raised many animals. From horned Merino rams to Kashmiri Vilayati menda and Sindhi Kutch Shikar sheep, livestock has always been a part of my life. I have handled stubborn rams, playful lambs, aggressive males, and animals of all kinds. I thought I understood livestock. Then Lala arrived. Lala is a young Sindhi buck goat that I am raising for Qurbani 2027. When I first brought him home, I expected another normal journey of feeding, vaccination, deworming, weight monitoring, and growth. I was wrong. Because somewhere along the way, Lala became more than just a bakra. He became a personality. --- ## Sheep Eat. Goats Negotiate. Anyone who has raised both sheep and goats will understand this immediately. A sheep sees food and eats it. A goat sees food and asks questions. Lala is the perfect example. Put wheat and barley in front of him and he happily eats. Add maize and suddenly he becomes a food critic. Add salt and baking soda and he files a formal complaint. Mix a tonic into the feed and he acts as if I have committed a crime. Sometimes I stand outside his pen looking at the untouched maize and wonder who is actually running the farm. Me or Lala. Most days, I am not entirely sure. --- ## The Morning That Made Me Laugh Recently I tried a small experiment. Instead of putting grains in the feeding tray first, I offered tuar bhusa and went away to finish some chores. I returned expecting him to be eating. Instead, Lala had completely ignored it. He walked up to the gate and simply waited for me. Not angrily. Not loudly. Just standing there. Patiently. As if he was saying: > "Excuse me, I believe there has been a mistake in my breakfast order." That moment made me laugh so much because it perfectly describes who he is. Smart. Observant. Opinionated. --- ## The Day He Scared Me A few days ago, Lala wasn't behaving like himself. He did not get up immediately when I entered the farm. His eyes looked different. His energy was lower. Most people probably would not have noticed. But when you spend enough time around an animal, small things stand out. That evening I checked his temperature. It was 104°F. Suddenly my concern felt justified. I treated him and spent the next day worrying far more than I probably should have. The following morning he was back to normal. Eating. Drinking. Urinating. Passing normal pellets. Acting like Lala again. Then I found something unexpected. His first milk tooth had fallen out. That tiny tooth lying on the floor felt strangely significant. My little buck was growing up. --- ## Why I Know Lala Trusts Me Whenever I enter his pen, he immediately comes over. Sometimes he rubs against me. Sometimes he scratches his face and horns against my legs. Sometimes he chews my shirt sleeve. Sometimes he inspects every pocket I have as though he works for airport security. Many people see this as normal goat behavior. Maybe it is. But I see something else. Trust. He is comfortable around me. He knows my routines. He knows my footsteps. He knows that when I enter the farm, something interesting is probably going to happen. That familiarity is something special. --- ## The Gate-Climbing Goat One thing Lala loves doing is climbing. Recently I caught him standing high up against the gate, balancing effortlessly and looking around as if he owned the entire property. For a moment, I stopped thinking about feed conversion, weight gain, supplements, deworming schedules, and target weights. I simply watched him. Confident. Curious. Alert. It reminded me that healthy animals do not just grow physically. They develop personalities too. --- ## The Lesson Lala Keeps Teaching Me Like many livestock owners, I often think that every problem needs a solution. Another supplement. Another tonic. Another feed additive. Another growth enhancer. But Lala keeps teaching me a different lesson. Sometimes animals do not need more products. Sometimes they simply need: - Clean water - Good food - Shelter - Consistency - Patience And perhaps most importantly, someone who pays attention. --- ## Raising Lala Has Changed Me When people hear the word "bakra," they often think about weight. How many kilos? How much growth? What market value? What breed? All valid questions. But anyone who has raised an animal from a young age knows something else happens. You start learning their habits. Their likes. Their dislikes. Their routines. You begin understanding their body language without words. You notice when they are happy. You notice when something is wrong. You learn their personality. And before you realize it, a simple livestock animal becomes a part of your daily life. --- ## Looking Ahead to Qurbani 2027 My goal is still the same. I want Lala to grow into a healthy, strong, well-developed Sindhi buck. I hope he reaches his full potential. I hope he remains healthy. I hope he continues doing all the ridiculous things that make me laugh. But regardless of what weight he reaches by Qurbani 2027, I already know one thing. The journey has been worth it. Because Lala has reminded me that animals are not just livestock. Some have habits. Some have intelligence. Some have attitude. And every once in a while, one comes along that quietly finds a place in your heart. For me, that goat is Lala. ---