Goats visit Glastonbury dementia care home with 'delightful' results

The pygmy goats were introduced to residents at St Benedict’s Nursing Home earlier this month as they're believed to help "boost happiness" and "reduce stress" as therapy animals.

Tanya Sheasby, who owns the goats and runs The Little Farming Company, said: “This gentleman normally has very little interaction or conversation with any staff or visitors according to the team at St Benedict’s, but he responded to our pygmy goats in such an engaged way, thanking me and stroking and making eye contact with them. It was really moving.”

Daphne the pygmy goat wearing her 'therapy goat' lead. (Image: St Benedict’s Nursing Home)

William Merivale, assistant operations manager for St Benedict’s Nursing Home, said: “It has long been recognised that animals can have a very beneficial effect on people’s moods so we were looking forward to the visit, never having encountered therapy pygmy goats before. 

“There’s a lot of scientific evidence about the positive effects of therapy animals in general, showing an increase in the body’s happiness-boosting hormones - oxytocin and dopamine - and a lowering of blood pressure and cortisol, an important stress indicator.

“And Tanya’s goats were a huge hit with our residents: they’re gentle and responsive, really small - just the right size to sit on your lap - and they don’t wriggle or kick.

“She told us that people never seem to be afraid of them.

"They were one of the earliest animals to be domesticated by man, apparently, so perhaps our lack of fear is cultural or comes from experience. Whatever the reason, we all thought they were absolutely adorable.”

Tanya set up The Little Farming Company in 2014 having been a lead occupational therapist with the NHS and in the community for many years.

She has worked with therapy animals for over 30 years and uses her varied skill base and "extensive knowledge of animal behaviour" to train the goats.

Tanya said: “Our pygmy goats may only be tiny, but have big characters: they’re affectionate, curious and gentle, and they adore the company of other goats and humans. They have been specially chosen by us for their calm temperament and love of attention.

“Our goats are weaned at around 12 weeks and put into small groups for 'Goat School,' where we train them to be calm, confident, gentle, trusting, and enjoy interaction with people.

“The younger goats will sit on a lap happily whilst the older goats will stand quietly beside a chair to be stroked. They never bite or cause trouble.

“Our goats don’t have horns – we have them disbudded under anaesthetic by a vet when they are young, as a point of safety in their role as therapy animals.

“We were made very welcome at St Benedict’s. I found the staff to be very progressive in their ideas and just lovely with the residents.”

The visit by Tanya’s pygmy goats to St Benedict’s is part of a "busy and varied programme of activities organised by the home for the benefit of residents".

White Care Group also runs St Cecilia Care Home in Shepton Mallet and The Rectory in Taunton.