The Woman Who Saved Goats
Helen Bell first learned she could watch animals online when she heard about the Kodak falcons. Now she watches zoo cameras that follow pandas, birds, and she checks on this goat farm in Oregon.
On July 4th, she was scrolling through these various animal cams when she saw something terrible. “I saw a dead goat laying here, and i was horrified.” The goats were being attacked by two large dogs and the owners weren’t home. Helen found their phone number online, contacted them, and they hurried back to save the animals.
“The anxiety of watching these dogs tearing at the fence and hoping they wouldn’t get to Allegra and her three babies before he got home – I couldn’t wait,” Helen said.
The owner, Doug Hays,arrived in time to save 37 goats after one had died. Hays explained, “I ran in the barn and I’d seen that the two dogs had already eaten a goat, half of it. And they were ripping the fence to the mother with her three babies down. And the dogs turned and looked at me and continued ripping through the fence.”
The Hays family had installed a camera to keep an eye on their animals when they were away. But it was Helen Bell, across the country in Rochester, who noticed when danger came. “They call me their guardian angel,” Helen said. “Makes me feel good. I’m glad I could save the goats for them.”