Amanda (left) with Donovan and their spouse, Jenna, with Dutch. These were their first two goats, rescued from a meat brokering auction. Unfortunately, Dutch’s leg had been broken prior to rescue and not properly treated, so it fused at the knee. “But he gets around just fine now,” Amanda says.
On a cold, wet day in rural King County, Washington, Amanda Vail looked out their kitchen window while doing dishes and smiled. Despite the steady rain, the five goats in the back pasture — all rescues — were bouncing, prancing, playing and enjoying life under the watchful eye of the elderly horse that protects the herd from predators.
Amanda (who uses they/she pronouns) and their spouse, Jenna, weren’t always goat owners. The path to their little herd started in 2021, when Amanda translated their long-time interest in goats into volunteering at the Puget Sound Goat Rescue.
Most Thursday mornings since, you can find Amanda mucking stalls, pitchforking straw, moving hay and brushing goats at one of the Rescue’s two farms in Maple Valley. Amanda and Jenna adopted their herd about a year ago, so they spend weekends and weeknights on their own farm chores — except when they’re needed to transport rescue animals out of bad situations.
After being rescued, Pilot immediately hopped in the truck's front seat and gave Amanda kisses. Pilot has since been adopted into his forever home. 'I’ve always been interested in goats,' Amanda says. 'They’re intelligent and companionable, and each one has a distinct personality.'
Beyond working with goats, Amanda also collaborates with other volunteers to trap, neuter and release feral cats and find pet homes for their kittens.
“I believe every living creature has value,” Amanda says. “When you put good into the world by bettering the lives of people or animals, there’s an echo effect that creates more goodwill for others to spread.”
As part of Amanda’s Volunteer of the Year award, they received a $5,000 TREE-mendous Matching Gifts reward, which they sent to the Puget Sound Goat Rescue.
Penelope, Amanda’s foster goat, makes friends with Jack, their 28-year-old rescue horse.
MEET AMANDA
Tell us a bit about your day job.
I’m a senior communications manager at our Seattle Headquarters. I support our senior management team’s communications needs, especially our Timberlands and Wood Products leaders, Travis Keatley and Keith O’Rear. I’m also involved in other projects as they come up, from sustainability communications to producing videos featuring our employees.
What did you think when you found out about the award?
I was so surprised — I had to reread the congratulations email a few times! I’ve been here for just over a year, and it was really heartening to be recognized. I volunteer a lot, but so do many others. I guess I didn’t expect goat rescue work to be recognized. It was an excellent opportunity to reflect on why I’m passionate about it, and it was exciting to know others recognize the value of rescuing animals.
You joined Weyerhaeuser just over a year ago. What are your impressions about Weyerhaeuser and its commitment to service and community?
I grew up with a strong interest in and appreciation for the natural world. Working for a company that sincerely values the many benefits of forests has been a delightful and amazing experience. I’m also impressed with Weyerhaeuser’s support of local communities through volunteerism. Until I came here, I never had the chance to combine volunteerism with company-matching grants. So, I jumped in with two feet. I was super excited to go into the TREE-mendous Matching Gifts portal and log my volunteer hours, knowing I was earning money for the nonprofits I’m passionate about.
On weekends, it’s not unusual to find Amanda’s SUV filled with goats heading to one of two rescue farms in Maple Valley.
What motivates you to volunteer?
My motivation is simple and one of my guiding principles: Every being we encounter deserves to be treated with dignity and respect. The depth of our humanity shows up in how we care for the world around us.
What made you start volunteering with the Puget Sound Goat Rescue?
I followed the Puget Sound Goat Rescue on Instagram. It does a fantastic job with social media content, and all these cute goat photos kept appearing on my feed. At one point I was between jobs and the rescue was actively looking for volunteers, so I applied. I started mucking stalls and helping socialize rescues once a week. About six months later, the staff and I started talking about grant writing, long-term strategic planning and other areas where I have experience. One thing led to another, and I was invited to join the board.
What are the community challenges you see that you’re trying to address with this work?
One of the most significant challenges is the auction-to-slaughter pipeline. Like cow dairies, goat dairies must keep breeding to produce milk. But that means many young goats, as well as seniors who are past breeding age, are sent to slaughter and subjected to truly inhumane conditions at the auctions and slaughterhouses. We use donations to intervene in that pipeline and save as many as possible. We also rescue goats that have been abused, neglected or abandoned. Then we provide the rescues with medical care, socialize or re-socialize them and adopt them into loving homes.
What’s your favorite part of the work?
Getting goats out of distressing situations. They undergo a complete transformation. A goat can be thin as rails and distrustful of people when it arrives at the rescue, where it slowly gains weight and learns to be sociable. Adoptions are also special. Like any pet, goats become family members, so it’s incredibly fulfilling when our rescue goats find their forever homes.
Amanda’s rescue herd enjoys the safety of their pasture. From left to right: Penelope (foster), Benno, Lennox, Donovan (back), Atlas and Dutch.
What advice would you give to someone who wants to give back but doesn’t know how/where?
I’ve volunteered and worked for various nonprofits — from trapping, neutering and releasing feral cats to addressing chronic homelessness — and I think it starts with recognizing there’s a need and wanting to lend your time, skills and expertise to make a difference. No matter what you’re passionate about, there’s a way to follow that passion for the benefit of others.
What have you learned by volunteering? How have you benefitted or been changed?
My life is richer. I’ve witnessed the direct benefits of my actions and how they’ve brought joy to others and improved the world around me. Volunteering has made me more confident, more willing to try new things and put myself out there.
What’s next in your volunteer plans for the year ahead?
We hope to consolidate Puget Sound Goat Rescue’s two farms into a single facility and are currently searching for our forever home. As a member of the board of directors, I’ll be involved in discussions about possible sites, financing, grant writing and overall strategic planning as we make that happen.
