Stray dogs attack Anton FFA barn, killing 9 show goats

LUBBOCK, Texas (KCBD) – “For I know the joys and inconveniences of agricultural life,” is a line that students across the country memorize as part of the FFA creed.

Anton FFA advisor Brian Reed pointed this creed to his students after a pack of stray dogs killed nine of their show animals.

Reed, also an agricultural science teacher in Anton ISD, is helping his students move forward after the attack.

“An eighth-grader wants to feed his animals and he comes in and his animal and everyone else’s are lifeless,” Reed said.

Reed was on his way home from the Texas State Fair with his family on Tuesday evening when he received a terrible phone call.

“One of the students called me and said: Dr. Reed, all the goats are dead… and he said, ‘Oh God, there’s blood everywhere,'” Reed said.

The boy told Reed that he had seen some stray dogs in the fenced area around the outdoor goat pens. He told the boy to go into the stable to protect himself and the several pigs inside.

“There are times these days when sometimes you have to put your emotions aside and take care of business because there are still animals here. There are people who need to be notified. There are processes that need to be done, that need to be taken care of, and then you let the emotions get to you,” Reed said.

The dogs killed all nine of the seventh- and eighth-graders’ show goats. Five of them came from Reed’s own daughter, who bred them. Two were leased and were to return to her after the season so they could become mother goats.

“She obviously cried the whole drive home. The children here were distraught. There were parents who were upset and angry, and understandably so,” he said.

Reed says some parents found the dogs and euthanized them. Although he says it’s not the dogs’ fault, he calls on pet owners to be more responsible. He calls it a given to have your pet spayed or neutered and kept fenced.

“There are always financial constraints. People say, ‘Well, it costs too much to do this or that,'” he said. “Well, that’s a huge expense. It is a huge, emotional toll on these children. It’s a financial burden on their families.”

Reed is now pressed for time to find new show goats for his students. The deadline for government validation is October 28th.

“I posted in a Facebook ag teacher group and I got a great response from some with prayers and offerings like, ‘What do you need?’ We have, we still have goats. We can meet you in this city or that city, you know? We can figure out the budget later. “We just need to make sure you have goats on hand for the kids,” he said.

To help these families offset their financial losses, the school accepts checks made out to the Anton Ag Boosters.

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