Teen's beloved pet pig, goat are in search of a good barn07:35 AM CDT on Thursday, August 28, 2008
By STEVE BLOW / The Dallas Morning News
sblow@dallasnews.com
It has been awhile since I tapped your problem-solving powers. And this one is a doozy.
It's a 500-pound problem that grunts and waddles. And there's a goat to go with it.
I suppose we can say this is a good problem for 18-year-old Betty Foreman. It's good because she's here to have it.
When Betty was born, doctors told Grant and Nancy Foreman of Carrollton that Betty would die within two months.
She was born with a severe and rare kidney ailment – autosomal recessive polycystic kidney disease.
Betty obviously proved tougher than doctors predicted. But life has not been easy for her. The catheter for her long, near-daily dialysis sessions pokes above her shirt neckline.
In spite of her illness, Betty excelled in school, earning a spot in the Biomedical Academy at R.L. Turner High School.
As a lifelong animal lover, she joined the high school's Future Farmers of America program. And that's where the Hampshire pig and boer goat came along.
Betty acquired them as FFA projects – though she made it clear from the start they were pets, not livestock.
The pig is Mooshoe – a play on moo shoo pork. The goat is Goddard – "just because it's an interesting name."
Betty got Mooshoe four years ago and Goddard three years ago. They have lived in pens at the Carrollton-Farmers Branch FFA Barn on Sandy Lake Road ever since. Betty and her dad tend to them every evening.
"Some days that's about the only thing Betty has the strength to do," her mother said.
But there's a problem.
Betty's health began to worsen a few years ago. Her kidneys failed completely and had to be removed in her junior year.
Betty became so sick that she withdrew from school. She has every intention of returning. "I plan to go to college and become a doctor," she said.
But for now, she waits for her health to improve enough for a kidney and liver transplant.
Because Betty is no longer in school, however, Mooshoe and Goddard can't stay in the FFA barn any longer.
"The school has been beyond nice in allowing them to stay as long as they have," said Mrs. Foreman. "The rules are clear. They have to go."
But go where? We're not talking about couch critters here.
Betty obviously has no intention of sending them where most livestock goes. "Since I got Mooshoe, I don't even eat pork anymore," she said.
And she's not interested in sending them to a far-off animal sanctuary. "They're my pets. I want to take care of them," she said.
So that has left the family scrambling for pig and goat accommodations in the northern Dallas County-southern Denton County area.
"We've tried everything," Mrs. Foreman said. "And we've gotten nowhere."
So that's why they are turning to you. "This is really our last ditch," she said.
Is there someone with a barn to offer within about 30 minutes of Carrollton?
The Foreman family is happy to pay rent for the space. And they will provide all care for the animals.
If you've got the answer, please contact Mrs. Foreman at 972-965-0940I thought I saw Mr. Foreman flinch when Betty said she might like to get a companion goat for Goddard one day.
But not Mrs. Foreman. "I'm happy for Betty and her animals," she said. "She needs some kind of joy in life. This has been really hard."
http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/news/city/carrollton/stories/082808dnmetblow.394a09f.html?npc
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