Thanks to some kind-hearted, quick-acting Jehovah’s Witnesses, Beulah the goat was saved Monday.
They rescued the nearly blind 4-month-old goat from a family swimming pool where she had fallen and would have surely perished.
Beulah belongs to the family of Rick and Tonia Hensley of Old Fort. In her short life, Beulah has had a tough time. After she was weaned from her mother’s milk, the little goat didn’t eat on her own and, as a result, Beulah likely suffered from a vitamin deficiency that left her nearly blind. The Hensleys have all worked as best they can to care for their beloved pet goat and help her grow stronger.
Tonia Hensley said her 15-year-old daughter Haleigh has been especially attentive.
“Haleigh has babied this goat,” said her mother.
Through the family’s care and devotion, Beulah has been nursed back to health. She now weighs 25 to 30 pounds. The family believes they saved her from a premature death.
On Monday, Beulah was saved again.
Rick Hensley was away on a business trip. Tonia was doing her work at the McDowell County Courthouse as a deputy register of deeds. Haleigh was attending school at West McDowell Junior High. That left her 18-year-old brother Jacob Hensley to look after the house.
Sometime between 11:30 a.m. and noon, Beulah got out of her cage and ended up in the family swimming pool. The family is still not sure how she got out. Jacob was busy washing clothes and the noise kept him from hearing Beulah’s cries for help.
At around the same time, a group of Jehovah’s Witnesses was going from house to house, inviting people to a Bible conference in Johnson City, Tenn. Jacob could not hear them approaching the house either.
But the Jehovah’s Witnesses did hear Beulah’s cries. One of them was 17-year-old Autumn Stoddard of Marion.
“We were just doing our door-to-door work,” said Stoddard. “We just kept hearing this crying throughout the whole neighborhood. I didn’t even knock on the door because I could tell it was starting to go under.”
Stoddard, along with Joann Goodwin and Cindy Fletcher, went around and saw Beulah struggling in the water. Stoddard pulled Beulah out of the above-ground pool and Goodwin assisted her in putting the goat back in the cage.
The family found out what happened later because Rick’s aunt, Sylvia Vess, lives next door. She saw the women save Beulah.
“What are the odds of that happening?” said Tonia Hensley. “This is the second time Beulah has made it through.”
The Hensleys said they would always be grateful for what happened.
“It’s pretty amazing,” said Tonia Hensley. “It makes me feel good there are still people who go above and beyond the call of duty.”
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