Some important news might have snuck past you over the holiday weekend.
The world is just becoming acquainted with Polly, a baby goat that lives at the New Jersey animal rescue Goats of Anarchy.
According to The Dodo, Polly, who is blind and has neurological problems, suffers from anxiety. The rescue is working to help the goat and recently found an unusual treatment: putting Polly in a duck costume.
Leanne Lauricella, who runs Goats of Anarchy, bought the child’s costume around Halloween on a whim and is amazed by how Polly took to the outfit.
“As soon as I put it on her, she just instantly got calm,” Lauricella told the Dodo.
Lauricella was especially surprised by the duck costume’s calming properties, because she had tried swaddling Polly and putting her in a ThunderShirt with little success.
“I tried a ThunderShirt — it didn’t work,” she said. “There’s something about that duck costume that calms her. She goes into a little trance. She just closes her eyes and she’s out.”
Now the duck costume is popped on Polly whenever she has a panic attack, and it is a great help whenever Lauricella needs to take Polly on errands.
Based on the success of this little outfit, the animal rescuer has tried other costumes on Polly. The baby goat has similar reactions to many of the other pieces, but nothing works quite like the fuzzy duck ensemble.
The only thing that can compete with Polly’s favorite outfit is her friend Pocket. Pocket, a fellow handicapped rescue goat, creates the same sense of calm in Polly whenever he snuggles up close to her.
“I’ve noticed that anytime he’s lying next to her, she just gets calm. I’ve never seen her do that with another goat here,” Lauricella said.
The rescuer hopes that Pocket will eventually take over the for the duck costume and keep Polly relaxed and content for the rest of their lives.
To keep updated on these sweeties and learn how to contribute to their care, visit GoatsOfAnarchy.com.
