Cedar The Goat: Why A 9-Year-Old’s Companion Animal Was Slaughtered By Officials

California officials countersued a family who tried to save their goat from slaughter after the Shasta District Fair sent law enforcement to seize Cedar the goat. The nine-year-old girl, part of the 4-H youth program, formed a close bond with Cedar and refused to hand him over for auction and slaughter. Despite efforts to save Cedar's life, officials tracked him down, seized him, and had him killed, leading to a federal lawsuit filed by the family for constitutional violations.

In response, the fair and other claimants have filed a countersuit through the California Attorney General's Office, claiming the girl violated the terms of her contract by not returning the goat for auction. The family's attorneys argue that the girl had the right to back out of the contract, and the fair officials acted unlawfully in seizing and slaughtering Cedar. Critics of the 4-H program have pointed out its intention to teach kids to see animals as products, leading to challenges for children who form bonds with the animals they are raising for slaughter.