See 200 Goats Flood An Issaquah Neighborhood

ISSAQUAH, WA — An Issaquah neighborhood was treated to a rare and delightful sight Tuesday evening when about 200 working goats escaped an enclosure and flooded local streets.

The goats were in the Issaquah Highlands neighborhood with their shepherd, Craig Madsen, owner of the Spokane-area goat service Healing Hooves. It was around 5 p.m., and the goats were nearing the end of their workday clearing weeds off steep hillsides. A goat probably knocked one of the poles of their electrified corral down, opening the flood gates, Madsen said.

"One of the goats just pops into another one ... and then the whole herd gets out," Madsen explained on Wednesday.

The goats had been working hillsides in the Issaquah Highlands for about four weeks by Tuesday, so most of their work clearing vegetation was done — and that means less to eat. The goats took off running in the area near Magnolia Street and 33rd Avenue Northeast, stopping to eat grass and bushes along the way.

They eventually found their way to a corridor of high-tension electric lines that runs through the neighborhood. The goats stopped there to munch on berries and brush, Madsen said.

From there, the goats were herded into a small dog park with the help of residents and members of the Issaquah Highlands Community Association HOA — and Madsen's border collie. Madsen used a truck to transport the goats in groups back to the electronic corral.

Goat escapes are rare, although Madsen has seen them before. The animals ran off in the Highlands once before because teenagers were lighting firecrackers and scaring the goats.

"When you have animals, it's not like you can control them 100 percent of the time," he said. "They have minds of their own."

The goats will depart the Issaquah Highlands on Thursday, but they'll be back next year — Madsen and his Healing Hooves have been clearing weeds there since 2008.