On the morning of Friday, Aug. 22, cars stopped several times on Washington Lane to allow some pedestrians of the two- and four-legged varieties to cross.

Staff and volunteers at the Philly Goat Project were taking 11 goats on an extra-long walk throughout Awbury Arboretum before stationing them in the paddocks. The caprine creatures mostly stuck to the path and the herd. But once in a while, they’d test the strength of their leash-holder by stopping to snack on the abundant surrounding greenery.

“They have personalities like the rest of us,” Philly Goat Project volunteer Angel Hogan said. “Sometimes they’re a little bit punchy or tired or feeling good.”

Nearby, brothers Teddy and Ray took a shorter walk to the paddock. Ray, a personable chestnut-colored Nubian, is missing his right hind leg. The goat’s leg was amputated in the spring after he broke his femur.

Road to recovery

Staff, volunteers, and supporters of the Philly Goat Project mobilized their time and resources to lift Ray through the monthslong road to recovery. All agreed it was worth it to see him walk and be able to snack with the rest of the herd in the paddock, like he did that morning.

“Ray is our sweet, kind, gentle giant,” Leslie Jackson, director of operations at the Philly Goat Project, said in an email. “It’s so hard to imagine a world without Ray in it. So, when he was injured and still was a bright, alert and amazing goat, we knew that it was time to fight for him.”

Ray, named after Civil Rights Movement leader and Philadelphia attorney Raymond Pace Alexander, and the goat’s brother Teddy, named after R&B singer Teddy Pendergrass, came to the Philly Goat Project around the time the nonprofit was founded in 2018, Hogan said. The organization, founded by licensed social worker Karen Krivit, hosts education, therapy, and wellness programs with the goats throughout Chestnut Hill and the region.

Staff and volunteers noticed Ray limping on Mother’s Day, Hogan said. Concerned, they took him to Quakertown Veterinary Clinic, where doctors found a complex fracture just below his hip, his femur split in three pieces. He was then transferred to New Bolton Center, a hospital of the University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine.

Doctors initially thought they could save Ray’s leg using specialized plates. Sadly, the team discovered his bone was too degraded and amputating his leg was the safest option.

“It was too fractured. They were concerned that if they did the surgery and attached the plates, he would be back and they’d have to amputate,” Hogan said. “So rather than putting him through the pain and time, they knew it was the best call.”

The cause of his injury is unknown, Hogan said.

The Philly Goat Project asked the public to help fund Ray’s surgery through the online fundraising platform Givebutter. They hit their $7,500 goal within less than a day on May 16.

“We will forever be grateful for our extended community who love the goats as much as we do,” Jackson said.

It takes a village

Along with public donations, the Philly Goat Project established a “Ray Care” volunteer shift to ensure his recovery. Volunteers came in daily to let him graze and provide him with company and medications. The morning and evening teams even changed their routines to help look after Ray, Jackson said.

He also had to be separated from the other goats during the first weeks of recovery. Goats, by nature, tend to ostracize the wounded because they pose a threat to the the herd’s survival, Hogan said, and staff members were concerned the others would pick on Ray. But he could still see and hear the herd from his stall.

“Knowing that he’s cared for, and being able to see his herd and his family and know that he’s not isolated … they’re very bonded to humans. So, I think it mattered that he wasn’t alone very much,” Hogan said.

Over the course of several weeks, caretakers reintroduced him to the herd, one goat at a time. Ray and Teddy soon resided in the same stall and grazed together. At first, standing was an arduous and painful task for Ray. But after several weeks, he was walking and completely reunited with his companions. Hogan applauded his resilience.

“We were concerned about him getting back with the herd. It’s really good that he’s able to do that now because they are such social animals. Being with one another is important to them,” Hogan said.

Hogan, a Germantown resident and operations associate at Your Part-Time Controller, joined the Philly Goat Project last year after her mother died. Having grown up on a farm, volunteering with animals and the tranquil outdoors helped Hogan heal through her grief, and made her feel closer to her mother.

As an avid volunteer, she helped treat Ray’s pressure sores, gave him medicine, checked on his emotional well-being, and got him moving and re-acclimated to the herd. It’s the type of work her mom would love. In a way, she agrees, she and Ray helped each other heal.

“[There were] a couple of days he was in his stall and he wasn’t really getting up. And I sat with him and read poetry. That was also kind of healing because I felt he was aware and appreciated my company. It was just quiet,” she said.

Here are some of the Philly Goat Project’s upcoming fall events.

Draw A Goat!, Saturday, Sept. 6, 1-3 p.m., 6336 Ardleigh St., Mt. Airy; Goat Walk at Laurel Hill West Cemetery, Wednesday, Sept. 10, 6-7 p.m., 225 Belmont Ave., Bala Cynwyd; Goat Walk at Laurel Hill East Cemetery, Wednesday, Sept. 17, 5:30-6:30 p.m., 3822 Ridge Ave., East Falls; Fall Grief Walk in Nature, Saturday, Sept. 20, 2-4 p.m., 6336 Ardleigh St., Mt. Airy; Goat Walk at Laurel Hill West Cemetery, ​Wednesday, Oct. 1, 5:30-6:30 p.m., 225 Belmont Ave., Bala Cynwyd; Write Out: Awaken the Senses at Awbury with Philly Goat Project, Sunday, Oct. 12, 1-3 p.m., 6336 Ardleigh Street, Mt. Airy; GOAToberFest 2025, Saturday, Oct. 18, 2-5 p.m., Laurel Hill West Cemetery 225 Belmont Ave., Bala Cynwyd; Harvest Fest at Awbury Farm!, Sunday, Oct. 26, 12-3 p.m., 6336 Ardleigh St., Mt. Airy; Lenape History Walk and Talk, Saturday, Nov. 29, 1-3 p.m., 6336 Ardleigh St., Mt. Airy.

Abby Weiss is an environmental reporter for the Local and a Report for America corps member. She can be reached at Abby@chestnuthilllocal.com.