Those attending this weekend’s Christmas Market and Parade in Pembroke may see some furry newcomers during their visit. 

North Bryan goat breeders Goatslodge will take part in the Pembroke Christmas Market, featuring a few kids, or young goats, before setting up their own float for the evening’s parade. 

“We're not going for the whole time because it’s a bit long for the goats, but we'll be there from between 10 and two o'clock to do a meet and greet [at the market],” said Shannon Lodge, Goatslodge founder.

How Goatslodge began

Lodge, better known as Shannon Gill outside of her work with Goatslodge, and her husband Robert moved to the U.S. from Montreal about 12 years ago and settled in Pembroke in 2018.

A long-time horse rider, Lodge first bought goats as a way to keep her horses in Pembroke happy. 

“When we moved to Pembroke, I had a horse that was boarded somewhere else, brought him here, and we ended up with a couple of horses. But when you take one horse out, the other one gets like, buddy sour…so I originally just wanted a couple of goats to keep my horses company while I went out with the other horse,” Lodge said. 

But as time went on, Lodge moved on from horse riding but her love of goats only grew. And, encouraged by fellow goat herder Stacy Hamlin of Richmond Hill’s Harwicke Farms, Lodge even jumped into the world of competitive goat herding, setting her sights on one breed in particular. 

“Basically I went around and met with other breeders and tried to learn as quickly as I could everything I was able to glean about breeding quality Nigerian Dwarf dairy goats,” Lodge said.

According to the American Dairy Goat Association, the Nigerian Dwarf dairy goat is one of the most popular breeds across the country, and it’s not hard to understand why. Despite their small size, Nigerian Dwarfs produce high quality milk and can produce anywhere from 2 cups to ¾ of a gallon of milk a day. Plus; as a domestic breed, Nigerian Dwarfs are very sociable, and are a great pick for families with small children.

“I have a large herd, and every one of them is a pet. I can tell you their names, their bloodlines, and you know, their personalities are different, each one and…I sound like a crazy person right now, but it's really remarkable how individual they are,” Lodge said. 

“They have a very strong social network internally in the herd. And when we breed the goats, we see that daughters and dams are really bonded. And there's family units that go from great grandmother down to the youngest babies that will find locations in the barn or out in the field to lie down together. 

“You find them stumbling together often, and that bond is really sweet to watch as well.”

Lodge’s goats have earned dozens of regional accolades, including Grand Champion ribbons and Reserve Champion, or second-place, ribbons. And as of now, Goatslodge is planning to go to the American Dairy Goat Association’s National Competition in Massachusetts next summer.

It takes a village

Juggling goat breeding with a full-time office job is no mean feat, but Lodge explains that her family and the wider goat herding community have been a big help. 

“I have a tremendous network of amazing friends that are all extraordinary breeders in their own right, that are across Georgia and other states like South Carolina, and that is my social network,” Lodge said. 

And this weekend’s Christmas Market and Parade will also be a way for Lodge to give back to the Pembroke community and spread the word about Goatslodge, which up until now has been a relatively low-key operation. 

“I don’t really advertise [the farm] as much,” Lodge said. “I once had a referral to a customer that ended up buying, I think, four or five goats from us about six months ago, and she lives on my street, and she didn't know that we existed!”

“It’d [also] be kind of nice to share the message that, you know, goats are just such a great animal, and I think they get somewhat a bad rap. 

“There's a perception that goats are like the garbage eaters, in tin cans, and they should be out there just foraging in your weeds. But really, there's a whole other aspect to them that maybe gets overlooked from the broader public.”

The Pembroke Christmas Market and Christmas Parade will be on Saturday, December 13. To learn more about Goatslodge, visit https://www.goatslodge.com/.