Meet Lucy, who lives in Manitoba and could be the world’s smallest goat

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This article was published 26/06/2016 (3439 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

The world’s smallest goat could be living in a baby’s crib just east of Anola.

We’re not kidding.

Her name is Lucy, and she’s a pygmy goat that stands between 40 and 41 centimetres tall.

‘It’s for her. She’s the smallest goat out there. She’s lived through hell’– Tara McKean, on the bid to immortalize Lucy in the Guinness World Records

Sunday night, Lucy’s owners, Mark and Tara McKean officially measured the two-year-old goat for the Guinness World Records. They had two official witnesses — a police officer and local councillor — and filmed the measurement for Guinness officials, as required.

There is currently no record listed by Guinness for goats. The required bar, however, is a height less than 40 3/4 cm.

Turns out, though, that measuring a miniature goat on a kitchen table is not without its challenges. Who knew?

A level was required as Tara McKean tried to keep Lucy steady, while also holding a bowl of oats to keep the goat occupied. Veterinarian Vivian Jacob did the measuring.

But Lucy kept squirming and burping.

“This might not be as easy as we thought,” Tara said after a couple early aborted attempts.

Eventually, three separate measurements (as required) were record: 40, 41 and 40 cm.

The witnesses were Terry Pheby, chief constable of the Springfield Police Service, and Heather Erickson, councillor for the RM of Springfield.

Asked if he had ever witnessed a goat measurement as an officer, Pheby replied: “Negative. Lots of measurements, but not goats.”

Some background: the McKeans run the 10 Acre Woods Petting Farm and Animal Rescue just outside Anola, where for the last two decades they have fed, nurtured and housed countless horses, ducks, turkeys, chickens, dogs and sundry other farm critters.

It started in the late 1990s with a few rabbits and grew almost by accident. People just kept showing up with injured or homeless animals.

The McKeans kept giving them a home.

A couple years ago, someone showed up with a pygmy goat that had been found in a nearby garbage dump. So the McKeans called her Junkyard Momma — even though they didn’t realize she actually was pregnant. About two weeks later, Lucy and her brother, Jason, were born.

Both were quickly diagnosed with white muscle disease, which can prove fatal. Jason died about two months after birth.

However, Lucy pulled through and is healthy as a horse, er, goat now.

“I guess her heart is strong enough,” Tara said.

That’s one of the reasons why the McKeans went to the extra effort to apply for the Guinness record status.

“It’s for her,” Tara noted. “She’s a special goat already. So it’s a little bit more. It’s for her. She’s the smallest goat out there. She’s lived through hell.”

These days, however, Lucy is one of the main attractions at the farm, which is regularly visited by seniors, youth groups and special-needs children. Sure, Tom the turkey is popular, too, but he won’t run up and nuzzle you.

“Especially with special-needs kids,” Tara said. “She will pick one kid out of that crowd, usually the most quiet and shutdown, and just stay by their side the whole time. She’s so friendly and so cute.”

Lucy is also unusual in her small horns are pointed forward so “she looks like a little devil,” Tara said.

According to Guinness rules, the record requires the “smallest height of a fully grown adult living goat.” Lucy is two years old and shorter than many newborn pygmy goats.

Despite recording and filming the process, Jacob was concerned about the accuracy of the measurements without using calipers, which were not available.

Tara conceded Guinness might require more proof but they would comply if Sunday night’s process was unacceptable.

“We’ve never done this, either,” she said. “We’ll do the best and see what happens.”

randy.turner@freepress.mb.ca