A Surfing Goat? I "Kid" You Not

by Diane Parnell

What’s the easiest way to rid your yard of weeds and poison oak? For Pismo Beach resident, Dana McGregor, the solution was simple: get a goat!

McGregor bought a goat, named her Goatee, and put her to work. He figured once her job was done, Goatee would make a fine meal for him and his friends. But something unexpected happened as the goat nibbled away – McGregor got attached to her and realized he could never eat her. He took her to the beach, put her on his surf board, and they rode the wave in together. The rest is history. “I got her ten years ago and since that first day, she has brought me so much crazy joy,” McGregor reminisced recently. The pair became popular, locals and tourists alike honking and waving as they cruised by in his car, Goatee’s wooly head hanging out the back window. Later, her babies, Pismo and Grover, got in on the act. “The goats just make people’s day, they make them smile,” McGregor laughed. He credits his goats for a lot of the good in his life. “They’re simple animals,” he said. “They help me keep life simple.”