Greta ate grain out of the little boy’s hand. She liked the grain and she liked the boy, but sometimes she wondered if this was all that life held for her. Day in and day out she stood in her pen at the petting zoo, hoping for a carrot. People had to pay extra for carrots, so Greta usually ended up with grain.

If she were lucky, she would also get a gentle pet. If she were unlucky, she’d get an ear pull. Once, she even had her tail yanked from behind. People weren’t supposed to go behind the pen, but people didn’t always follow the rules.

Greta followed the rules. She never butted or kicked. She never bit. But she did wonder. What else was out there for a goat?

One day, a new goat came to the pen. His name was Mortimer. “I used to be a yoga goat!” announced Mortimer. What was a yoga goat? It sounded interesting.

Mortimer explained that a yoga goat got to do yoga with people. The people lay on mats and stretched into strange positions. The goats walked around and looked cute. Sometimes they got to sit or lay down on the people. Sometimes they even tried to do the poses too.

Greta discovered that this yoga place was just down the road. And so, the next time her pen was open, she set off to see what it was like to be a yoga goat. Would this be the best life for her?

At first Greta loved being a yoga goat. She got lots of gentle pets and no ear pulls. She even got carrots. But after a while it felt a little boring. Watching people stretch all day wasn’t much better than standing around in a pen.

Sasha, one of the other goats at the yoga place, told Greta about a herd of goats just a little further down the lane. Sasha had heard tales about these goats who were called brush trimmers. They got to ride around in a big, red truck with a woman named Katie. They would go to wherever there was a lot of overgrown grass and brush, and they would be let loose to chomp. Greta thought that sounded like fun!

The next day, Greta set off down the road again. She was determined to meet Katie and become a bush trimmer. Maybe this would be the best life for her.

Greta fit right in with the brush trimmers. She loved riding in the big, red truck. She loved eating the different types of grass and brush in each new location. It was so nice to have choices of what to eat instead of plain grain everyday. She didn’t even miss the carrots.

One day, Greta heard Katie talking on the telephone. “Bramble Field is on fire!” she said. “Hurry!”

Katie was talking to the fire department. She was talking about Bramble Field, where the brush trimmers had been let loose to chomp just yesterday. Greta heard the wail of the sirens in the distance as the trucks headed towards the field.

Later, Katie came to the goat herd and hugged each and every one of them. “You saved the day, my friends,” she said.

Katie explained that the firefighters were able to put out the fire quickly since there wasn’t long grass and brush to catch and spread the flames. Because of their chomping, the field, and the houses around it, were saved. The goats were heroes.

Greta felt warm inside. The food was nice, but the best part of being a brush trimmer was being helpful to others. Greta had found her very best life. It was great to be a goat.