David Nixon, Operations and Ranch 4-H Manager with the home, has filed three police reports since the beginning of the year after goats went missing from a field near the campus where they are kept.

“Boys and Girls Country is such a wonderful organization, it’s been such a blessing and it just infuriates me that someone would do this,” Nixon said. “I can understand maybe once or twice, but to me it seems like probably the same people that keep coming back for more.”

Nixon said the last two thefts happened in the past month, where thieves got away with a total of 10 goats. Since the thefts started at the beginning of the year, 13 have been taken.

“The majority of the goats they’re stealing are breeding goats,” Nixon said. “They’ve stolen some really good breeding goats I used to produce more goats so the kids had goats to show.”

Many of the children at Boys and Girls Country show project animals, including goats, at local livestock shows.

The goats were Boer-Goat crosses, some of which were registered. Nixon said it’s hard to gauge the impact the theft has had on the children.

“It’s kind of hard to tell; some have suffered so much loss in the past that it’s just another thing to lose something else,” he said.

The goats ranged in age from a couple months to 2 ½ years old.

Nixon, who has worked at the organization for the past nine years, said he started keeping and breeding goats on the facility’s grounds three years ago for the children to raise and show at livestock shows.

The facility has also had pigs, rabbits and cattle, as well.

He said it is hard to tell what time of day the thefts occur and that it is often hard to always keep an eye on the goats at all times.

Following the most recent theft, Nixon said he has taken steps to better secure the animals.

“There are people always there on campus but they’re busy watching the kids. It’s hard for them to watch the goats,” Nixon said.

The most recent report Nixon filed with police was after a July 6 theft where six animals were taken. He said police have not found any leads yet.

“I would appreciate any leads, any information that I could get, because I would surely like to see this come to an end,” he said.

Nixon is asking anyone who knows anything about the thefts to contact the Harris County Sheriff’s Office at 713-221-6000.

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