OUR ORIGINS
Goats R Us was the product of a dream. Beginning in 1995, Egon and his wife, Terri, pursued a goal to incorporate the animals they treasured into their everyday life. With the help of their young son, they began with 54 goats working in neighbor’s yards to clear the brush and poison oak. The idea blossomed, and the business grew, creating the need to expand.

CHANGING OUR FOCUS
A shift in focus from generic brush clearing to specialized vegetation management programs became essential as the business grew. While some sites required fairly simple treatments, others demanded more pre-production planning and attention to a variety of details such as native plant cycles, ground nesting bird reproductive seasons, endangered species’ habitats and patterns, etc. Goats R Us has developed symbiotic working relationships with local experts in each of these fields. Each new challenge has become an opportunity for us to expand our knowledge by working out creative solutions with biologists and land managers.

PUBLIC RELATIONS AND COMMUNICATION
Communication with clients and the public has always been a major strength of our company. From the beginning, we have made prompt response to both the client and the general public a priority. Due to an abundance of requests over the years, we have added a community outreach component to Goats R Us. Staff members and selected K-9’s and/or goats have been visitors at local schools, hospitals, and hospice centers. Their purpose is to both entertain and offer agricultural education in urban environments.

FERAL GOAT RESCUE
In 1999, the animal rights group “In Defense of Animals” enlisted Goats R Us to capture and remove feral goats from Catalina Island. One by one, the staff from the GRU team caught the wild goats, with aid only from ropes, radios, and of course, their remarkable dogs. Keeping the newly captive animals secure, calm and in good health was our main concern. To this end, all parties involved (Goats R Us, In Defense of Animals, and the Catalina Island resident volunteers, particularly Debbie Avellana and Rudy Piltch) did a stupendous job! After 10 weeks of 5am start ups from their campsite, often in heavy fog, and many days of walking upwards of 20 miles on the steep cliffs, they had gathered 120 head. This group was very carefully transported to our ranch, where they have adjusted comfortably.