Dogs and cats may get the most attention when it comes to animal adoption, but San Diego Humane Society’s Escondido Campus is home to many other four-legged—and two-web-footed—friends who are looking for homes.
“We are able to house lots of different livestock animals at our Escondido location, from ducks, geese and turkeys to horses, pigs, chickens, roosters and goats,” says Kathleen Van Dusen, animal services manager at the SDHS Escondido Campus. “We love our livestock area—it’s never a dull moment!”
The most important thing to do if considering adopting livestock is “research, research, research!” says Van Dusen. “I can’t emphasize this enough. There are so many things to consider, including socialization, housing, nutrition, feed, health issues and enrichment.”
Besides all that, there’s also fun. Here are three fun facts about livestock:
- Potbellied pigs are extremely intelligent and can be litter box or potty trained.
- Goats make great lawnmowers and are often adopted to take care of their owners’ landscaping needs. This also helps create fire breaks around a property.
- Goats are herding animals and need companionship. Therefore the City of San Diego requires owners to keep two goats at a time, not just one.