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The original was posted on /r/tifu by /u/StarSweeper94 on 2024-09-11 07:25:34+00:00.
Recently I bought two goats from a local livestock auction for a ridiculously cheap price. They are my first goats and I love them, they are small breed, open does and the vet gave them a clean bill of health, plus they are super friendly. The only problem was their ear tags that the auction stuck on them (in addition to the typical scrapies tags) with their auction numbers. They were these horribly heavy plastic tags held on by a thick metal ring. They were tearing holes in my poor girls ears! I bought a set of pliers but they didnt change a thing. I asked my neighbors if they had bolt cutters but none responded to my texts. Finally after a week of feeling guilty for not doing something about the ear tags I noticed bleeding. I ordered a pair of bolt cutters online and drove 1.5 hours to a family members house (far less rural area that can get same day deliveries), and picked them up. It was very late when I got home but I wasn't willing to let my girls suffer another second longer. I headed straight to their pen and, because I don't have a goat handling system yet and even if I did it wouldn't be the kind that holds their head still, I lifted up the first goat and laid her on her side. She SCREAMED, she did not like being on her side and she got even madder when she realized all my business had to do with her sore ear. But after she realized kicking and screaming wasn't helping she finally held still and let me cut the ear tag off. The whole time my dogs were barking like crazy inside the house. Next I went to the smaller goat. Since she was so small I assumed she would be easier to handle. Wrong! She screamed longer and louder. She screamed so loud I finally had to bring her inside the house just to dull the noise. Eventually I got the ear tag off and both goats seemed instantly to forgive me in exchange for a few treats and neck rubs. As I went inside and tended to my dogs I regretted doing this so late at night. Even more so when I looked at my watch and realized it was exactly midnight! I'm glad my goats are more comfortable now, but I'm seriously the worst neighbor. They probably all thought their own animals were being attacked.
TL;DR I had to hold down my goats to remove some painful ear tags at midnight and they very loudly protested, probably causing much alarm to my neighbors.