Millie

Millie was the matriarch of our sanctuary and one of the most important goats in its entire story. Born in December 2015 on Brandon’s family farm, where she was originally named Mildred in honor of his great-grandmother, Millie came to the sanctuary in 2019 after family health challenges forced the herd to be sold. She arrived as the friendliest goat in the herd — and pregnant.

Not long after arriving, Millie gave birth to twin boys, Keith and Luke, making them the first goats ever born at Butterfly Valley. She later gave the sanctuary one final unexpected gift: Baby Jane, the tiny cleft-lip goat whose life and legacy helped shape the mission of Butterfly Valley Rescue & Sanctuary. In many ways, without Millie, there would be no Butterfly Valley as it exists today.

Millie was feisty, funny, deeply loving, and absolutely the boss. She was famous for silly faces, dancing for leaves, climbing onto tables, sticking her head through Christmas trees, and making sure every goat knew exactly where they stood. But beneath all that sass was a devoted mother, especially to Keith, who was almost always right by her side.

Millie passed away peacefully in May 2025, just a few months shy of her 10th birthday. Her loss marked the end of an era, but her legacy lives on in Keith, in Baby Jane’s story, and in every special soul who finds safety at the sanctuary she helped inspire.