It's a conspiracy and it all started with the pigs.
Before we got the pigs, our animals did not escape. The pigs were masters at escaping. When they began letting themselves out three and four times a day and coming to the house to meet us when we came outside, that was just a little more than I could take. I temporarily put them in "time out" in the stable.
When we finally found a way to contain the pigs (knock-on-wood), then the darn goats began to escape. I think they saw how much fun the pigs had been having and wanted in on the action. When they escaped four times in the same day, they went to time out in the stable. (I am currently working on a plan for a fence to contain them.)
(Note to self before proceeding with this story: Even though borrowed electric netting works perfectly for keeping goats in, once you buy several hundred dollars of your own electric netting and return what had been borrowed, the animals laugh and let themselves out of the fencing on a regular basis. Electric netting does not work to contain goats or pigs.)
Not sure if today's escape was the idea of the bovines or the geese but they evidently wanted to get in on the action.
I was straightening up the rugs and toys in the dog's room (yes, the dogs have their own room) when I heard a familiar sound. It really didn't register at first what it was. I have become so familiar to my little friend's constant chatter as they follow me around that I did not think it was unusual to hear them talking to me. But I was surprised when I looked up from where I was picking up dog toys off the floor and saw Splish and Splash calmly looking at me through the window. They were talking to me, to each other, and very intent on the conversation as they gazed through the windows.
I racked my brain trying to remember letting the geese out earlier but I just knew that I had not. I wondered how they had escaped. Then I suddenly remembered I had new share members coming today and I thought they might think me a little odd if they drove up and saw Canada geese staring and talking to me through the windows. I decided I better put Splish and Splash back in their pen for a while. I don't like for folks to think I am crazy the first time they meet me. I like for that realization to slowly take shape in their minds over time.
Splish and Splash followed me faithfully down to the pen and their casual "talking" suddenly became quite agitated and I could see why. Princess, the heifer, evidently is as smart as her mother, Maya, who learned early on how to open latches on gates. Tori and Princess had opened the gate to the pen, let themselves in and finished off the small amount of grain that I had put out for the geese.
After getting the heifers out of the pen, I allowed the geese to stay out the rest of the afternoon when they promised to stay in the barnyard and not follow me back to the house.
(Note to self: Imprinting is real.)