Rescue Goat Does Whatever He Feels Like, All The Time

"Ohhh Miiilllllliiieeeee."

The volunteers at Sugarshine Sanctuary have lost count of how many times they've said these words. They say it every time Millie the goat jumps on top of the car and slides down the windscreen. Or wriggles his way inside the car. Or leaps onto the roof and tap dances for attention.

Millie (a.k.a. Miiilllllliiieeeee) was only 5 days old when he arrived at Sugarshine Sanctuary, an animal haven in New South Wales, Australia. He (yes, he) had been born into the goat dairy industry, but since Millie was a male, he was considered a "waste product" and put up for sale. When a woman saw Millie being sold at a local market, she rescued him and delivered him to Sugarshine.

"He looked so lost and scared when he arrived," Nelder told The Dodo. "He bleated until we cuddled him. He really loved cuddles. And he still does."

Even though Millie didn't have his mother, he grew healthy and strong with bottle feeds and cuddles. But one bottle was never enough for Millie - he tried to steal his friend Bonnie Lamb's bottle too. In fact, that's how "Ohhh Miiilllllliiieeeee" started.

"One day I was out feeding Bonnie and two volunteers we were with me," Nelder said. "When Millie tried to steal Bonnie's bottle again we all said 'Ohhh Miiilllllliiieeeee' at the same time. We've been saying it ever since."

Millie's tiny legs have grown, and he's now a gangly teenager. And boy can he jump. "Millie is notorious for jumping on top of cars and then either dancing in a circle and sliding down the windscreen or curling up and having a nap," says Nelder. "I've gone through a lot of windscreen wipers! He loves our volunteers' bedroom and he's thrilled if he gets in there because it's a big no-no, and he immediately leaps onto the bed and jumps around."

When Millie doesn't feel like he's getting enough attention, he'll go to all sorts of lengths - and heights - to get it. "Millie climbs on the roof of the house and the roof of the volunteers' room and dances around. He's clearly having a lot of fun making as much noise as possible! This is usually early in the morning when no humans are up yet and he's bored and wants attention."

If there's one thing Millie likes more than jumping and cuddles, it's food. His favorite foods are sunflower seeds, weetbix and whatever anyone else is eating that they don't want to share. The screen door of Nelder's house doesn't latch properly, so Millie will use his hoof to break in, enter and steal any food he can find.

He also checks cars for goodies. "He once found some yummy groceries in a car," Nelder says, "so he always leaps in to look. Then he loves jumping back and forth from the back of the car to the front while we try and catch him."

Jumping. Cuddling. Food-mooching fests. Then, of course, there's fun with friends. Millie loves spending time with Bonnie or Lolly, two resident sheep at Sugarshine Sanctuary.

He also loves hanging out with the pigs...

...or on top of the pigs.

Want to know how Millie got his name? When a local animal lover passed away, Nelder and her friends decided the next animal to come into their care would be named Millie - no matter what. So when Millie arrived, he became Millie, which turned out to be the perfect name. "Millie's friends tell us that she was a cheeky, naughty, affectionate, adventurous person," Nelder says, "so we think the name suits."

Millie thinks so too.

Sugarshine Farm Sanctuary is an animal haven in New South Wales, Australia that approaches animal rescue in a non-judgmental way. They believe animals need love, affection, mental health and joy, as much as they need food, water and shelter. To support Sugarshine, you can donate here.

You can also get updates on Millie by following Sugarshine's Instagram page.