ROSSVILLE, Tenn. (Aging Untold) — A winter baby boom at a small ranch outside Memphis transformed a hobby into a business offering goat snuggles, yoga sessions and visits to the community.
Collin Champagne and his wife, Lindsey, run Walkapony Goat Ranch in Rossville, Tennessee, about 45 minutes outside Memphis. The couple has operated the ranch since 2010, initially focusing on horses before adding goats to their homestead.
The Champagnes began breeding and selling goats as a hobby. In January 2021, all of their female goats gave birth during a 10-day period, resulting in 28 baby goats in the middle of winter.
“I thought, we need help picking them up, snuggling them, getting them used to people and like, just handling,” Lindsey Champagne said. “So when we sold them into pet homes, they were friendly already.”
Ranch opens to visitors
The couple opened the ranch and invited people to help snuggle with the baby goats. During the pandemic, they offered socially distanced visits.
“Not knowing that it would snowball into this,” Lindsey Champagne said.
The visits continued after pandemic restrictions lifted. People began requesting goat yoga sessions. The business, now called 901 Goats, also visits elderly shut-ins, birthday parties and weddings.
“Pretty much if you can dream it up, we help make it happen,” Lindsey Champagne said.
She said animal therapy and laughter therapy have real benefits.
“You might get goats in the mix, you’ve got both of that and it’s just really good,” Lindsey Champagne said. “Just helps with the adrenaline release and calming down and just all-around smile and feel good.”
Collin Champagne described goats as social, smart and having distinct personalities.
“They’ve got a lot of personality,” he said. “You can watch them figure things out as they problem solve, and they’ve just got a lovable nature about them.”
Copyright 2026 Gray Media Group, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
