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BY IVAN SANDERS
STAR STAFF
ivan.sanders@elizabethton.com
There was a break out in Carter County recently but it didn’t take long to get the culprit back in custody. The only concern in approaching the escapee was two tiny horns that were unlikely to be used in its apprehension.

The escapee was Grady the goat and the capture was made by newly hired dog catcher Darren Lacy in only his second call on the job.

“I got a call from 911 that a goat was running up in Siam running at large and I went and got him,” said Lacy. “It was sort of hilarious because I knew they were going to laugh about it back at the shelter.”

And indeed it was something that caught the staff and Animal Shelter Director Shannon Posada off guard when Lacy arrived back at the shelter.

“I remember them telling me to come and look at what Darren was bringing out of the truck and here he came with the goat,” said Posada with a big smile on her face as she shared the story.

Grady’s background story was so intriguing that Posada knew she had to share it with STAR readers.

“My husband brought him (Grady) for her (daughter Autumn) last year in January,” said Gina Harris, Grady’s owner. “The people breed goats to get milk from the mamas to make stuff with so they really weren’t interested in the baby – they just wanted the mama to make milk.

“Grady was only 12 hours old when they got him. They brought him home that night and they bottle-fed him for weeks. He lived in the bathroom – we put a diaper on him and everything.”

When Grady grew a little bigger, he was taken to Gina’s father-in-law’s house where the goat made a friendship with three cats that were already at the house.

Autumn, meanwhile, continued to go and feed Grady and even bought him a collar and led him around on a leash up and down the road.

One of the cats named Ginger became close to Grady and something happened to Ginger resulting in her passing. The cat was buried and Harris believes that Grady got out of the building they kept him in to look for Ginger.

That’s when the call came into 911 requesting that Lacy come to pick up the escapee who was looking for his little buddy.

After a short stay at the shelter, Harris was made aware that a goat was at the shelter that was more than likely Grady.

Upon calling the facility, she was asked to describe the goat which of course she gave Grady’s color and that he had two small horns but the one sure giveaway was when Harris said that Grady had on a blue collar which thrilled the staff and they informed Harris to come and get the goat.

Grady was picked up and taken to a friend of Harris which lived close by and had several goats for Grady to make some new friendships.

As for Lacy, he has had at least one more goat call on Sneed Hill but said that he has been around small livestock all his life so it was just another day on the job.

Posada had nothing but praise for Lacy saying that he has worked well with both the Carter County Sheriff’s Department and Elizabethton Police Department in responding to calls such as this one.