Sleeping With Goats in Nebraska

After a busy couple of days in Boulder seeing friends and getting the van stocked for our next few days on the road, we headed out early Wednesday morning for our first Harvest Host destination of the trip:  Shepherd’s Rest Goat and Sheep Rescue in the Village of Pickrell, Nebraska—Population 199.

When we arrived at the beautiful 100 year old farm, we were warmly greeted by Jen; the owner of the property and hero goat rescuer.  We have been listening to the book “Running with Sherman” by Christoper McDougall  in the van and there were a couple of chapters about the wonderful qualities of goats so we were primed and excited for our visit.

Jen has over sixty goats with cute names like Oreo, Bam-Bam, Inigo Montoya, Lovey, Eleanor, and Sven on her property and she knows each one, their back-story, and calls them by name.  She also has a miniature cow –Moose, a mini horse — Minnie Winnie, four baby red foxes, some deer, sheep, and nightly tree frogs.  Jen runs only one of three goat rescues in the United States.  The other two are in the East and West Coast so she rescues goats mostly from the middle part of the country.  She told us when she turned 50, she decided she could either take it easy and drink margaritas on a cruise ship or she could pursue her passion and rescue goats.  She chose the latter!

Jen rescues goats that have been neglected or abused and rehabilitates them while providing a goat sanctuary in her beautiful setting.  She also educates the public about goats and sheep as therapy animals and provides animal assisted therapy to nursing homes and assisted living facilities nearby.  She said she felt her animals truly helped many people get through covid lockdowns who were alone and without family.  Jen also has monthly goat yoga classes here on the farm complete with meditation paths around the farm.  What a peaceful oasis!

We were all by ourselves in a forest setting for the evening.  I will take a Harvest Host setting over a crowded RV Park any day of the week!  So glad we found out about them.  We ate dinner while watching the sunset and the fireflies put on a fireworks show for us.  As we went to bed, the sound of the tree fogs serenaded us to sleep. 

 All in all, Shepherd’s Goat Rescue was one of our favorite stops yet.  If you ever find yourself in Pickrell, NE or even Lincoln or Omaha make sure to make the trip to visit Jen’s Goat Rescue Sanctuary. On weekends, you can play with the goats and even do some goat yoga!

Here is Jen’s website in case you are interested in finding out more. We made a donation so she could rescue a few more cute little critters. Now we are off to a winery in Marenga, Iowa for our next adventure!

https://www.shepherdsrestrescue.com