IDGR opened an Experimental herdbook for Dwarf Nubians in 1995 to help breeders who were trying to develop a new breed of medium sized dairy goats. In June of 2006 IDGR registered it's first Purebred Miniature Nubians as they are now called. The goats were bred by Steve Rose of Walla Walla, WA. Upgrading these goats to purebred status is not something to be taken lightly, it has taken years of hard work, breeding, and selecting. The goats must breed true for 3 generations before they can be considered for upgrading to Purebred status. Below is an article written by Steve Rose.
The “controversy” began over 55 years ago when my father, an Iowa farmer told me: no GOATS! So, I settled for a couple of sheep. That seemed to satisfy me for the time being. We had a complete farm in the true sense of the word, sans goats. At that time, in the early 50’s we had the oldest registered Holstein dairy herd in the state of Iowa, hogs, chickens plus we raised corn, oats and alfalfa on our 120 acres, but I repeat: no GOATS. High School and college came and went, the family farm was sold and subdivided and we moved west.
The desire to farm was never as strong in me as in my older brother who was never able to realize his dream of having a farm or as they call it in Montana: a ranch. I, on the other hand, over-educated myself, worked professionally for 30 years in major cities along the west coast, but in the back of my mind was the dream of owning acreage in a rural area. The decision was years in the making, planning/dreaming: searching the internet and bookstores for all the information I could find on poultry and goat breeds. For years I thought I wanted pygmy goats………annual trips to the local County Fair had convinced me of that! As for the chickens, I knew they had to be the heavy breeds…black Langshans and New Hampshire Reds… because I wanted those dark brown eggs with the beautiful orange yolks (which I also learned were no more nutritious than the white eggs, but they still look better to me.) J I also began collecting ceramic chickens and goats as a way of “waiting out” my time until I could make the move. I googled for several years on these two subjects and printed off a couple of reams of information. I was “doing my homework”, true to my personality: a bit “retentive”, I admit it! J But I wasn’t going into this adventure ill-prepared and it provided me with relaxation and an escape from the hectic pace of my job in Los Angeles.
I had joked for years with friends, that when the hectic pace of my work got to me, I would go raise goats in the mountains. The rest is history.
While traveling with my work, I always made time for my hobbies of antiquing and perusing used bookstores. On one of my trips, I came across an old Countryside magazine in a used book store in San Luis Obispo, CA and an article by a goat breeder, Ariel Mars in Oregon City, Oregon, who was developing a new breed of goat: Dwarf Nubians (as they were initially referred to). I read the article, totally absorbed in everything about this new breed and, eureka this was really more along the lines of the type of goat I was interested in: not too small, not too big, dairy in body and character and those gorgeous pendulous ears! I got on the computer again and located the phone number of this breeder, made a call, felt the connection immediately. I made plans to visit her farm on my next “business” trip to Portland. That was in early 2002. We found 2.75 acres in Walla Walla, Washington in August of ’02. The acreage more than met our requirements: it has an artesian spring-fed creek and irrigated pasture, good fencing, a decent barn with the capability of housing both the bucks and the does and a spacious room for hay and feed. All of this and a view of the beautiful Blue Mts. from the Walla Walla valley. We returned to Los Angeles to continue making the final plans to move in ’03.
I made a couple of more visits to Ariel’s place and in February 2003 during kidding season, I saw my first newborn kids, I committed, on the spot, to a gorgeous 3 day old buckling and to a beautiful doeling and a couple of seasoned does. Thinking that would get me started. I returned to Los Angeles and shortly thereafter I resigned, turned 60 and left the next day for Walla Walla and a chance for a new life.
After many phone calls and visits to Ariel, I had convinced her of my sincerity in becoming involved in and continuing with the breeding plan to achieve full purebred status for these beautiful animals! By the end of May 2003, I was on my way to Oregon City with a borrowed horse trailer, much too big for the planned cargo, but I had no other alternatives. When I got to Ariel’s place it was mid-morning and I wanted to return the same day so I had to get down to business. We loaded the buckling, the beautiful doeling which Ariel picked out for me as “the best pick of the kidding season” and then two seasoned does that I liked and which Ariel filled me in on their backgrounds as far as kidding results, dairy/udder qualities. But that’s only 4, I said, don’t you think I need a couple more? Ariel smiled and said, “I can see you are hooked already.” Yup, I was. I picked out two more does, (one all black and the other a grey roan) with her help and we both agreed to add a mature buck mainly for genetic diversity. Seven: one for each day of the week: I had to justify the number somehow. I closed up the horse trailer before I felt the impulse to really fill it up came over me. J I now had the foundation of my little herd of dwarf Nubians
I had bred dogs for 20 years, majored in Biology and studied genetics, so I did not go blindly into this new adventure in which Ariel so kindly included and mentored me.
Fast forward. I bred the does in the fall of ‘03, had my first kids in the spring of ’04…we all concurred that there is nothing cuter than those newborn kids! I was truly hooked on this breed at “first kid”. I selected some of the doelings from that season, kept a beautiful buckling and sold the rest of that season’s kids. I have a particular interest in selling to 4-H kids. I continued the breeding in ’04, ’05 and ‘06, always being judicious in my selections: paying particular attention to my culling, striving for the best in my mind’s eye, all the while keeping in mind the breed standards. I have kept copious notes, detailed records and photographs, registered my kids with IDGR (thanks for you help and for answering my many questions): all part of developing this new breed.
I don’t need to explain to you fellow goat aficionados the work involved in caring for goats. The excitement of planning the breedings… the anticipation of the kidding season…. the unforeseen problems that can arise…difficulties associated with multiple births, etc. All part of being a goatherd. The sleepless nights of checking in at the barn…just in case.
So when my registration certificates came back this spring from IDGR, I noticed that two of the certificates were printed on different paper……a note enclosed in the packet made mention of the two certificates, “if I had any questions, just call”. “Temporary Miniature Nubian Certificate…No’s 1 & 2.” A sent off an e-mail to Emily inquiring about that designation as I was unsure why they were not the usual Experimental Miniature Nubian certificates…..in my innocence I thought that IDGR had run out of the “Experimental” certificates and had used these “Temporary” ones. Well, Emily clarified it for me, stating that I was the first one to qualify, for lack of a better term, to have the first two Purebred Miniature Nubians in the new Herd book. Wow………..disbelief! I was truly honored for after all is said and done, it is a labor of love for this wonderful breed.
Friends often times ask, “Why goats?” I simply reply, “Why not?” Saying to them, “they are very much like dogs, without the bark!” They are very social animals, each one having a different personality. The run to see me each time I enter the pasture, some give kisses, some nibble….gently without biting, one insists on rubbing her head on my boots, others are glued to my side when I am with them. I even walk one of them on a leash along the road, much to the amazement of the passing cars. Sometimes, I just sit and watch them graze in the pasture or listen to them eat their hay in the barn. I can recognize each of them by their unique “voice” and some of them come when I call their names. One “special” doe must come to greet me each night before feeding and then “insists” on leading me to the barn…..I must follow her: not walk beside her, but follow her. That’s just the way it is with Brenda!
In closing, and I could go on for pages, “You really can go home again”. In my case back to my roots as an Iowa farm kid who never lost his love for animals and one who never gave up his hope to, one day, own goats. My father passed away 3 months before I got the goats, but I know he, too, would have loved them as I do.