Caerwyn arrived on the Animal Messenger Sanctuary at three weeks old, on May 4, 2017. A concerned neighbor witnessed a tiny goat lying, unable to walk, in a filthy backyard with dogs on chains, small dogs running around, and at least five unsupervised children under the age of 10, sometimes carrying the baby goat. She called me and asked, “Should I just take him?” I advised her to go to the people and ask if they would relinquish him. They did and she brought him to me. We met at my local veterinarian for immediate medical intervention.
The vet uncovered a host of problems, including a broken shoulder, infections in his other joints, eye infection, and goat lice. Armed with all the necessary medications, I settled the tiny one in a cat bed next to me in my truck. On the way home, I asked him what he wanted his name to be. The answer I got was “A name that means strength.” He became Caerwyn, which is Celtic for “white fortress.”
Caerwyn would need strength to overcome the obstacles that lay ahead.
With a bottle diet of fresh goat milk from a local farm and multiple meds treating his ailments, Caerwyn gradually began to improve. He lived in the house and I slept with him at night to comfort him because he would scream from nightmares. For goats, sheep, and other so-called “prey” animals, to be unable to get up is terrifying because running and safety in numbers are their only defenses against predators. To be down is to be dead. I believed that was the source of his nightmares, as his legs would move in his sleep as if he were trying to run. I would hold and pet him until he woke from the nightmare. With time, as he realized he was now safe, the nightmares subsided.
Daisy the guardian dog and I became his mothers. Caerwyn cuddled with both of us and Daisy appointed herself his protector.
After he was off his meds, I started Caerwyn on joint supplements to help with the trauma-induced arthritis he would likely always have.
The fenced garden was the only place I took Caerwyn outside because he was too tiny and too compromised to be in with the large animals. They all stopped by, however, to meet him through the garden fence.
When he had recovered enough, we began his walking rehabilitation. He still could not walk but was able to get around on his front knees. I put knee pads on him and he scooted around in house and yard.
By the time Caerwyn had fully recovered from his sicknesses and grown larger, he was still not walking. Knowing he needed to strengthen his back legs so they could support him in straightening and walking on his front legs, I called K9 Carts. They designed a special cart and gave it to me at cost. (Thank you, K9 Carts!)
The cart brought Caerwyn new freedom. He raced around in it, thrilled to be moving. The cart allowed him to use all four legs, but he could propel it with just his back legs and that is what he did.
While his back legs got stronger, his front legs needed extra help. I did physical rehab. Seated on the ground, I would stand him before me, with his head pressed into my chest for support, and gently work to increase the straightness of his front legs, all the while chanting and singing affirmations to him. He loved his songs:
Caerwyn the magnificent
Caerwyn the strong
Caerwyn who walks
all the day long
Caerwyn the magnificent
Caerwyn the tall
Caerwyn who walks
as a healer for all
One day, he let me know he was done with the cart, refusing to let me lift him into it. Before that, he had been perfectly willing. It had become clear to me that Caerwyn knew when he was ready for the next step in his rehab. We were a rehab team and I needed to listen for his messages.
The next step this time was leg braces. I took him to the UC Davis vet school, which was the only place I found within driving distance that would custom-make leg braces for goats.
With the braces, Caerwyn was able for the first time to walk on all fours. I cried in joy the day he took his first steps. It had been nine months since his arrival on the sanctuary.
Caerwyn even began running! Every morning, he would stand patiently while I velcro-ed on his braces, clear to both of us how much they supported his legs, and off he’d go.
The day he declined to let me put on the braces, it was time for the next step. After that, he began to travel with the flock and herd—the goats, sheep, horse, and donkeys—as they roamed the 10 acres of the sanctuary. It had been a while since he had been big enough to live with them. Though he could walk, he still limped and the other animals were careful around him, knowing he was a bit compromised.
John, our wonderful horse and donkey farrier, took on Caerwyn’s hoof trimming. Due to his delayed walking and not-quite-straight right knee, Caerwyn’s front hooves had special needs. John gave me the “friends and family rate” because, as he shared with me, he felt a special connection to Caerwyn. He, John, had been a “Shriner’s kid,” receiving leg braces and rehab from the Shriners to correct a walking problem. John wanted to return the favor and was dedicated to the cause of Caerwyn.
In the midst of all the animals, Caerwyn could most often be found with his two adopted goat brothers, Berwyn and Joyful, who had also been bottle babies.
People who visited the sanctuary were drawn to Caerwyn. His indomitable spirit shined forth. In addition to Daisy and the goat brothers, other animals on the sanctuary shared a special bond with Caerwyn. One was Sunshine the black sheep; she and Caerwyn would dance together. A mini pig named Lavinia fell in love with Caerwyn immediately upon her arrival at the sanctuary in 2022. Thereafter she followed him around and would lie down next to him.
As the years went by, Caerwyn’s walking grew harder. He still roamed where he wanted, but it took more effort. His spirit remained strong, as always.
His walking struggles likely having aged him, his body finally gave out on August 19, 2026, after nine happy years on the sanctuary.
Grieving the loss of this precious being, I am heartened by the inspiration that was Caerwyn. He truly was a model of healing for all. His positive outlook and calm acceptance of his disability were an honor to observe.
Caerwyn the magnificent
Walking tall
Caerwyn, thank you for sharing your life with me.
