If you happen to walk your dogs in the Sun Valley area be sure to look out for the suburb’s most unusual pet.
Ntombi is a one-year-old pygmy goat, and, according to her owners Jody Wilson and Mel Balaskas, people love her.
“We are stopped wherever we go and they touch her and take pictures of her, and she was even trending on social media a while back,” said Ms Wilson.
Ntombi’s biggest fan is her human sibling, Ruby Wilson, 9, who regularly takes her for walks, on a rope, with the family’s two Scottish terriers, Liquorice and Thingu.
Apart from them, Ntombi shares the back garden with two cats, Zen and Pluto, and four rabbits, Baobab, Blueberry, Buddy and Bongie.
Ms Wilson said she had always wanted a goat and the family was all for it.
“They are extremely intelligent, and I find them fascinating,” she said.
When Ntombi joined the family a year ago, at five weeks old, she spent the first four months in Ms Wilson’s bed and was bottle fed by hand.
Ntombi, who is no bigger than a large dog, has since moved out of the family bed and now has her very own room in the house where she sleeps on top of a special box filled with straw and an electric blanket, as goats are sensitive to the cold.
Her room has a sliding door so she can be let out before bedtime and in the mornings.
Ms Balaskas said Ntombi mostly stayed outdoors during the day as she loved to jump up on the counters and couches and eat “everything”.
“It was quite an adjustment for us as we now have to close the doors otherwise she will just jump up on the counter and grab a banana,” said Ms Balaskas.
Ntombi’s favourite treat is All-Bran Flakes, and she gets very excited when she is shown a box of the cereal. She also loves Provita and Marie biscuits and oats.
“She will talk to you when you say hello and will dance by jumping sideways when we put music on,” Ms Wilson said.
For Ruby, the best thing about having a pet goat is that she does not have to share her with her 4-year-old sister, Grace, as she does not yet play with Ntombi.
“She is very special and funny and has her own way of doing things and she does not like being alone,” said Ruby.
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