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BUSINESS SPOTLIGHT
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The Cutest
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Landscaping Option
I
f you have a half-acre or more of yard
that’s overgrown and hard to maintain,
you may want to look into Have U
Herd, a suburban goat rental business
owned by Rainy Laux. Based out of her
Collier Township farm right off the Kirwan
Heights exit of I-79. Rainy’s 30 goats
offer customers a lot more value and an
experience that can’t be matched, all for a
lower price than a landscaper.
“My goats are ideal for properties
with invasive poison ivy, unsightly
overcrowding underbrush, and creeping
vines,” she said. “The goats eat these
undesired broad-leaved plants, not lawn
grass, bypassing the need for toxic weed
killers.”
The process is a simple one: The
property owner meets with Rainy to go
over the job, how much land needs to be
cleared and how safe the yard is for goats.
Then, a perimeter of lightweight, solar-
powered electric fencing is set up around
the area. The electric fence has a similar
voltage to a pet perimeter training collar.
It keeps the goats safely in and predators
and neighborhood dogs out. All property
owners need to do is turn the fence off
once a day to go change out the water
and spread a few
wafers of hay
provided by Rainy
to supplement the
goats’ diet. They are
encouraged to pet
the goats if they
like before exiting
the area and
turning the fence
back on. The goats
take care of the
rest. And, with each
of her goats only
weighing around
100 pounds on
average, you don’t need to worry about
the rest of your yard being damaged by
their hooves.
“A lot of property owners will reseed
their yards before we arrive. Goats don’t
eat seeds. They actually will trample the
seed in and fertilize it,” Rainy said. “Believe
it or not, the droppings are part of the
benefit. It’s not pungent like cow or horse
droppings and we’re not there long
enough for it to build up.”
She noted that in addition to yard
trimming, she’s entertained all kinds of
jobs for her goats—ranging
from photo shoots and film
work to bridal showers and
Painting with a Twist-style
parties, except with goats.
“Goats are hot right now,
and Goat Yoga is on fire.
This is why I partnered with
Jen Stratakis of Jen’s Yoga
Zen to create NamastHay
Goat Yoga of Pittsburgh,”
Rainy added. “We are the
first to bring goat yoga to
Pittsburgh. We host public
spring and fall events filling with 150-175
participants, raising money for humane
organizations.”
With green goat grazing becoming
popular now in the Midwest, and
Pittsburgh beginning to employ them,
Rainy is expanding her rentals to private
residential land, schools, cemeteries,
office parks, retirement homes, and golf
courses.
Rainy has a master’s degree in
elementary education and interned
with the number-one goat landscaper
in Plymouth, Massachusetts, prior to
buying her herd. She said her clients are
surprised to discover that her goats are
quiet, gentle, and amusing.
“Goats are efficient natural landscapers
as they eat, rest, eat, play, eat, and sleep
then eat, leaving a good, not-too-fragrant
fertilizer where they work,” she said.
For more information, or to
schedule a free consultation, call
Rainy Laux at 412.414.1001, or email
[email protected]. Visit online
at HaveUHerd.com or on Facebook.
PETERS TOWNSHIP
❘
APRIL/MAY 2018
37