FAIRBORN, Ohio (WDTN) — Self-care comes in many different forms from exercise to meditation, but a local couple decided to add goats to the mix and turn it into a business.
Cassie and Josh Keeton are the owners of GoatCountry LLC in Fairborn. Their idea for their business started after the couple added a goat to their family and named it Ernie.
“I was very sick in 2020 and was going through a lot of stuff and I was probably on 30 medications,” said Cassie. “Being around Ernie every day after we got him, getting up to feed him changed everything for me. It made me not so depressed, it made me smile.”
Cassie’s transformation led to a desire to help others.
“Seeing that therapeutic value firsthand was the biggest thing and obviously some research after that. If it can work for us, give us those kind of feelings, obviously, it’d be great for someone else as well,” said Josh Keeton.
GoatCountry offers “goat yoga” along with a cuddling option to allow people to escape daily stress and overwhelm.
“When you come to a Yogo class or a cuddle class, you’re sitting there forgetting about all your stress for an hour and you’re laughing and smiling and enjoying it and it’s an hour of doing that. When you’re with an animal, a lot of feel-good chemicals are released in your brain. It works,” said Cassie.
For more information about hosting private events and attending classes click here.
