The Inspiration
How One Goat Brought Joy to Thousands
The idea for the Grady Goat Foundation was conceived following the birth of Grady, a goat born at Hat Trick Ranch (re-named Grady Goat Farm in honor of Grady) on March 14th 2017. His owners, Debbie and Rob Canton, immediately noticed something off about Grady. Unlike other newborns, he was unable to stand on his own to reach his mother’s milk. What was later diagnosed as a form of polio that affects some goats, Grady was soon determined to also be both blind and deaf.
Despite his physical challenges, Grady was loved and cared for, allowing him to live for six months—which was six months longer than vets expected. During that time, Grady showed an incredible zest for life, playing with baby goats and other animals on the farm, seemingly unaware of the physical limitations and being unable to see or hear. It was this ability to overcome adversity during his short life that inspired Debbie and Rob to launch the Grady Goat Foundation and even rename their homestead Grady Goat Farm.
Grady Goat Foundation raises money through its weekly goat yoga classes and other fundraisers to rescue and provide a sanctuary for goats that have been neglected or abandoned. The Foundation also helps “kids” (children) facing adversity. In its first five years, Grady Goat Foundation has partnered with dozens of local and national organizations with fundraisers to support a number of worthy efforts.The idea for the Grady Goat Foundation was conceived following the birth of Grady, a goat born at Hat Trick Ranch (re-named Grady Goat Farm in honor of Grady) on March 14th 2017.
Being born so close to St. Patrick’s Day, Grady seemed a fitting Irish name. Debbie Canton, the co-owner of the Farm, immediately noticed that the newborn kid lacked the muscular strength and control typically exhibited by the dozens of other kids born at the Far,. Debbie recalls, “while other kids are typically up and walking and nursing from their mothers within minutes, Grady could neither stand, nor hold his head up.” Knowing that Grady wouldn’t survive without assistance, Debbie immediately took it upon herself to ensure Grady had a fair shot at life.
She bottle-fed him every two hours for the first several days of his life and gave him regular massage therapy and supplements to help with his muscular development. After about a week, while still wobbly and uncoordinated, Grady was finally able to stand, walk, and nurse on his own. “Shortly before Grady started walking,” Debbie recalls, “I had already began to notice a cloudiness in Grady’s eyes; however, it wasn’t until he was strong enough to walk on his own that I realized he was blind. This poor kid not only had trouble walking, but he couldn’t see where he was going!” Debbie could tell that Grady had enough vision to notice nearby shapes and find his mother if she was within a couple of yards, but beyond that he would just wander and cry. Thankfully, Katie (Grady’s mother) was as patient and loving as Debbie, and she was never far from Grady’s side during those important first few weeks and he learned to cope with this second physical challenge.Just when we thought life couldn’t get any more challenging for Grady, we started to notice he would often remain sleeping when all the other babies were up and playing.
“At first I just figured he was tired from his struggles to walk,” Debbie said. “But when we would pet him or pick him up, he was just as playful and full of energy as everyone else.” It turns out that Grady had a third strike against him. It was evident that Grady was also deaf. Despite his muscular, vision, and hearing disabilities, Grady quickly became our most loving, affectionate, and joyful of all the babies born at Grady Goat Farm. It was his perseverance and zest for life despite his physical challenges that inspired Debbie to create a foundation in Grady’s name in hopes of providing a way to support animals and inspiring children facing their own physical, mental, or economic adversity.
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Grady Goat Yoga was started as the way to raise funds to help support our mission. Grady passed away on September 11th, 2017, but his inspiration and ability to face and conquer adversity lives on in the Grady Goat Foundation.