ST. CHRYSOSTOME, P.E.I. — The Beach Goats are going incorporated.
Devon Saila and her young son Keegan, of St. Chrysostome, are launching a new business based on their growing stable of dwarf goats.
The herd, dubbed “The Beach Goats” has been around for a couple of years. They could be spotted on social media surfing the Northumberland Strait on paddle boards, attending special events while dressed in modified dog clothes, and generally participating in other community happenings.
The goats have proven popular enough that Saila has decided to officially launch a business based on visiting and playing with them.
“People have already contacted us for the dwarf goats to be involved in their spring birthdays, so we can travel to those because they wear diapers and are very clean. I also have clothes for all occasions, including Halloween, Christmas, and what not, so they are available for rent,” said Saila.
Past events featuring the goats proved successful, added Keegan.
“We had a strawberry social where guests got to pick fruit from a nearby farm and then return to feed the Beach Goats,” he said.
“We made enough money from the Beach Goats Christmas party to send a generous donation to the humanitarian organization called World Vision Canada. The organization then used the donation funds to purchase three goats for a village in Africa,” added his mother.
“The goats provide the village with milk, cheese, and can be churned into a business, so it’s a lifestyle.”
As part of their new venture, the family also plans to hold more themed events throughout the year, including paddle boarding with the goats, walks on the sandbars near their home and collecting oysters, staining custom white t-shirts in the red P.E.I. clay, bottle feeding the newborns and even goat yoga.
For those looking for a rural farm experience, the family has a vacation mini-farm to rent. The Homestead, tucked nearby on the same road as their home in St. Chrysostome, has fruit trees, chickens, a vegetable garden, and, of course, goats.
Originally from Ontario, Saila and her son had been spending their summers on P.E.I. for many years until moving here full-time four years ago. They bought a home with land overlooking the Northumberland Strait.
The family began with two Nigerian dwarf goats that live in their home along Route 11 in St. Chrysostome. Over three years this snowballed to 11, with three additional large Alpine goats living on their land that overlooks the Northumberland Strait.
She didn’t plan to turn this lifestyle into a business – it just fell organically into place, said Saila.
“Goats are very addictive,” she laughed.
