OkcPets Magazine September 2023

September / October 2023 • OKC Pets 27 The Woodalls Enjoy Life with Their Menagerie Story and photos by Carol Mowdy Bond “I grew up in the country with animals,” Kyle Woodall said. “We had horses, dogs, cats, rabbits, chickens. We did some farming, sold watermelons, and hauled hay. There aren’t a lot of kids around when you live in the country. So animals were my friends.” Woodall and his wife, Kense Woodall, who was raised as a city gal, own a Yukon acreage where pets rule. All told, they have 32 Nubian, pygmy, and Nigerian dwarf goats, five dogs, a lot of cats and rabbits, and 22 pigs — Vietnamese potbellied, Ju- liana, and Kunekune. Most of the animals were rescues, and some just showed up on the Woodalls’ doorstep. Except for some of the rabbits, these much-loved four-legged family pets have names and respond when called. They even race to Kyle Woodall when he goes out back and simply yells, “Babies!” The Woodalls get to know an animal’s personality before naming a newcomer. The names run up and down the Old West landscape —Wyatt Earp and brothers Morgan and Virgil and Virgil’s wife Allie Earp, Belle Starr, Doc Holliday and his gal Big Nose Kate, Bass Reeves, Jesse James, and Calamity Jane. However, there are also Hamlet and Wilbur and Charlotte from the story Charlotte’s Web. “I’ve always loved animals and always felt like I could bond with them better than I could with people,” Kense Woodall said. “Animals didn’t hurt me. But I never knew that I liked farm animals until Kyle talked me into getting goats. He got himself goats for my birthday and for Valentine’s Day. He wanted a pig, so we got one. And then I fell in love with pigs.” She is fully hooked because now she has a habit of bringing displaced or dumped animals home, such as the pig Allie Earp. Someone found Allie walking the streets of Bethany, and no one claimed her. She didn’t do well on another farm, so the Woodalls took her home. Life at the Zoo Days begin early at the Woodall zoo. As the sun peeks over the horizon, the pigs start to squeal as a reminder to rustle up the grub. Feedin’ time is a big deal, and the animals eat first. With two feedings daily, that’s a lot of mouths to feed. Most of the animals free- graze, even into the neighbors’ yards, and the neighbors are fine with that. And during the winter, the Woodalls bring in hay. Besides grass and hay, there’s a long weekly grocery list: 40 pounds of rice, 50 pounds of sweet-feed grain for goats, 50 pounds of rabbit food, 25 pounds of cat food, 100 pounds of dog food, fresh fruits and veggies such as bananas, apples, wa- termelons, carrots, celery, and lettuce, and black oil sunflower seeds. When the Woodalls initially moved onto their acreage, only a lean-to struc- ture was in place. Using scrap wood and materials, Kyle Woodall expanded on that, creating a barn with stables for the goats, where a pregnant pig also resides. He also built all the other structures, and he cobbled a pigsty with shelter. The rab- bits live in an air-conditioned workshop that he built. Kense Woodall vaccinates all the pets and deworms them. She diagnoses and treats illnesses, can handle emergencies, and sleeps outside when pets are about to give birth. She also relies on the Goat Emergency Team Facebook page. “Respiratory infections are common in goats, and they can get goat polio,” she said. “Every day, you have to pay attention to every animal. Also, we don’t band our goats. We don’t dock any tails. We don’t disbud the horns off the goats.” Besides food, shelter, and health issues, all the animals have grooming and hygiene Four pygmy goats free-graze alongside Vern, a part Kunekune and part Juliana pig.