Rocky Hill Police 'Kid' About New K9: Bonnie The Goat

ROCKY HILL, CT —You have goat to be kidding me.

Could it be that the newest member of the Rocky Hill Police Department is a goat? But not just any goat, rather a breed of goat that's used much like a K9 dog? No disrespect to canine K9s, but this police patrol critter can climb trees, and, they use their horns to hold on to a suspect.

The Oberhasli breed goat named Bonnie was donated to the police department by the Hayes Farm in Rocky Hill, an actively operating farm since 1868. The farm has recently begun breeding this goat, police said, in an effort to "bring awareness and expand the use of police patrol goats throughout the region."

The Rocky Hill police Facebook post announcing the arrival of Bonnie has thousands of views and comments.

Not a baaaaaaad April Fools Day joke!

Bonnie may be the first police patrol goat, known as a PPG, in the state the Facebook post reads, with background on why goats are great at being patrol officers.

"Many people may not know that goats, specifically the Oberhasli breed, have been gaining popularity overseas as the premier patrol animal for many police departments. Goats have proven to be very agile and well known for their ability to climb and balance in precarious places and even have the ability to climb trees! Although goats are not known to be aggressive, when properly trained, they can utilize their keen scene of smell to locate evidence, track suspects and even utilize their horns to subdue criminals when necessary."

Goats are also pretty smart but they're willing to look for help.

"Goats were first domesticated as livestock more than 10,000 years ago and research conducted to test communication skills found that goats will look to a human for assistance when faced with a challenge, making them the perfect partner for our patrol staff," police pointed out.

And, they're easily pleased when it comes to their diet.

"Since goats eat pretty much anything, feeding expenses are expected to be far less than their K-9 counterparts," police noted.

Bonnie hits the streets Thursday. Be safe out there, kid.

And Happy April Fools Day!