The Dude With The Goat

I was driving down Springfield Avenue in Summit a few years ago. Looking over to my right, I saw a large brown dog on a leash eating a shrub in front of a restaurant. After doing a double take, I realized this large brown dog had two horns in its head. I pulled over to the side of the road with my wife and two kids to chat with the dude with the goat. From that day forward, Cyrus Fakroddin and Cocoa The Celebrity Goat have been an integral part of my family’s life.

Cocoa is a 2 1/2 year old goat that is part Alpine and part Pygmie. Cyrus got her when she was 2 months old and they have been inseparable ever since. Besides being seen strolling down Springfield Ave eating bushes, Cocoa can typically be found at the Summit Farmer’s Market and Summit Train Station.

Cocoa has relished the bright lights of the big city as well. Cyrus has taken her into Times Square for a Good Morning America broadcast. She has also been to Madison Square Garden where she caused quite a stir. Two uniformed police officers came up to Cyrus and asked him to leave. When he questioned why, the officers said, “there are a lot of security cameras around here. The people behind the cameras are paying attention to Cocoa instead of doing their job.” Cyrus’s favorite travel story is when he drove to his hometown in Illinois with Cocoa.  He was leaving Summit at 3 PM and attempting to drive straight through until the early morning. During the long excursion, Cyrus was afraid of nodding off while driving. However, Cocoa needed to relieve herself about every two hours. When she needed to go, she would gently nudge Cyrus in the shoulder. So Cyrus got a good rush of cold air every two hours pulling over to the side of the road. This kept him awake and therefore removed any chance of him dozing off during the trip.

This Fall, you should be able to catch Cocoa at quite a few Summit Hilltoppers football games. She has become the unofficial mascot of the Summit Hilltoppers football team. Cocoa sat in the stands during the riveting Summit Orange playoff game last year. She got so caught up in the action that she started to get a little wild in the bleachers and had to watch the rest of the game by the fence. If you happen to see her, remember that her favorite foods are hay, grapes, onion peels, apples and grains. As of the writing of this post, there is the unconfirmed rumor that Cocoa is pregnant. So if you are sipping your coffee strolling down Springfield Avenue this Fall and see goats heading your way, they didn’t escape from a nearby barn. Cocoa and the kids are on the scene.