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Baby goat 'Doug' goes on epic WA road trip after his rescue by four good Samaritans

Doug has been turning heads while on a road trip to Broome with his four rescuers. (ABC Kimberley: Hinako Shiraishi)

When George Hornidge embarked on a road trip to the Kimberley with three of his closest mates, he never imagined they would be picking up an extra passenger.

Doug the baby goat has been turning heads along the Great Northern Highway on his way to Broome this week with Mr Hornidge and friends Dillon Paulik, Luke Hornidge, and Mitchell Fitzpatrick.

Doug shortly after being rescued from the bush. (Supplied: Luke Hornidge)

The kid was picked up by the group of friends after they heard its desperate calls. 

"We were about an hour north of Kalbarri, and I heard him crying from a bush," Mr Hornidge said.

"It was just after a storm; I don't know if he got separated during that."

A vet says Doug would have perished if he was not found by the men in Kalbarri. Now he has made it to Broome. (Supplied: Mitchell Fitzpatrick)

The group hurried the baby goat to the local vet. 

"He was a bit weak at the start, so the Karratha vets gave him a vitamin shot … he was pretty skinny and the vet said he wouldn't have lasted much longer," Mr Hornidge said.

Without any clue where the kid had come from, the men decided to adopt him and bring him along for the journey. They gave him a name and popped him on a dog bed on the back seat of the car.

"He just looks like a Doug … Doug, the little thug," Mr Hornidge joked.

Anything but a 'thug', Doug is never far from his rescuers' side. (ABC Kimberley: Hinako Shiraishi)

Doug has been on more adventures than almost all humans his age.

He is only two weeks old yet he has visited a pub, posed with the famous red dog statue in Dampier, frolicked in the waves at the beach, and watched pearl farming in action. 

The men say travelling with a goat means they do need to make frequent potty stops, but it has not affected their road trip too much.

Doug and his rescuers at the famous red dog statue in Dampier. (Supplied: George Hornidge)

Mr Hornidge says Doug has been well received by all who meet him along the way.

"Everyone's been trying to buy him, but we couldn't put a price tag on him," he said. 

The men have created an Instagram account for the goat to document his travels.

Doug the Goat comes to Broome (ABC Kimberley: Hinako Shiraishi)

"He's like a puppy," Mr Hornidge said, while the goat lightly headbutted his leg. 

Many Broome locals have taken to social media to offer forever homes for Doug. 

One user commented: "Love the surprises that come with the dry season", while another conceded the goat's cuteness: 'Most destructive animal God put on earth, but bloody cute".

Doug and his four rescuers will soon be heading back to Perth, where Doug will live out the rest of his life on the Hornidge family farm. 

Doug and his rescuers are heading back to Perth soon, but they will not forget the warm welcome they received from Broome locals. (ABC Kimberley: Hinako Shiraishi)
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