BELFAST, Maine — A goat (yes, a goat!) had to be rescued from Belfast Bay this week with help from local police and a quick-thinking kayaker.
It happened in the area of Battery Road on Tuesday after police said the goat escaped from its owner at a nearby veterinary clinic.
"It's another day in Belfast, that's for sure," Belfast Police Sgt. Dan Fitzpatrick told NEWS CENTER Maine.
Fitzpatrick said the call was initially for a llama in the road, but when he and other officers responded, they found a goat on the loose.
After chasing it through properties along the shoreline, the goat ended up in the frigid water.
"I did not know up until it happened that goats could actually swim," Fitzpatrick said.
Once the goat went into the water, he and his partner decided they had would too, but the goat swam out too quickly.
Jerri Holmes heard the commotion from her home and quickly jumped into action. Grabbing her life jacket, a rope, and her kayak, she paddled out to try and coax the goat back to shore.
Neighbors and members of the community lined the shore to watch.
"Regretfully I'll be called the goat whisperer from now on," Holmes said laughing. "Or the aqua-goat herder."
After multiple failed attempts to wrap the rope around the goat's horns, and even losing her paddle in the wind, she was eventually able to get it back to dry land more than 20 minutes later.
"Have I ever done this before? No." Holmes said. "I see it's little butt paddling really hard. It was a big goat."
Holmes said she is just glad the goat survived the ordeal, especially after the tough year we have all had.
"We need something to feel good about and honestly this--there's no bad ending here, she said. "This was a good one!"
Police said, at last check, the goat was doing just fine and eventually made it to its veterinary appointment.