Top 6 Hard-to-believe Headlines of 2014
At Pet Health Network, we see all sorts of animal stories every year. This year, there have been six headlines that we found especially entertaining. See what you may have missed in 2014!
1. Firefighting Goats
San Francisco may have just taken the lead for “Greenest” city. According to Lydia O’Connor of The Huffington Post, goats are the newest employees of a San Francisco based company. What’s their pay? Food—the urban goat herd grazes on the dry brush, which thrives in the California heat and represents a major fire-hazard.
Tucked away in the Bayview neighborhood of San Francisco you’ll find City Grazing--a goat landscaping business. Needless to say, the business is unique, but what makes them great is that the landscaping goats they raise are a fantastic green alternative to large machinery and pesticides. The goats also restore soil fertility by leaving behind “organic fertilizer.”
City Grazing is a small business which allows them to know and name each goat. City Grazing’s Genevieve Church told the Huffington Post, “If we’re going someplace that’s ten acres, we’ll take animals that have a big appetite and aren’t as social.”
City Grazing has been helping San Francisco since 2008. After California had its driest year in 2013, the company received an abundance of phone calls about the landscaping goats from owners who wanted to protect their land, reports O’Connor.
Church says, “There’s been a definite increase in thoughts of, ‘How do we reduce fire hazard?” She also added, “Grazing animals have always been a wonderful way to keep grasslands and brushy areas reduced in that dry material.”
These goats may not know how to put out fires, but their work is crucial in preventing them. Plus, they’re eating great!
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If you have any questions or concerns, you should always visit or call your veterinarian -- they are your best resource to ensure the health and well-being of your pets.
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