Our Beginnings

Many years ago there were breeders and owners of goats who had no place to keep their precious animals’ pedigrees were seeking such a place. Think of how it would be if you yourself had no home … no place to go to be loved and treasured and valued …

It was just this way with some of the breeds such as the Nigerian Dwarf dairy goats; newly imported from West Africa as food for big cats on ships.  However, goat lovers recognized that these little West African Dwarf goats were a special type of goats. There were two types, the larger version which is the forerunner of the current African Pygmy, and a smaller version distinctly different from the Pygmy type.  It is this smaller imported type who were the forerunners of what we now call the Nigerian Dwarf

No place existed to register this smaller version of West African Dwarf, rejected by registries because they were ‘different,’  though both came from West Africa. In 1980, after much research, Bruce Hair started International Dairy Goat Registry (IDGR), a great service to breeders and owners who sought to register their special unrecognized animals

Even today, a few herds newly imported from West Africa, are likely a different lineage than the Nigerian Dwarf Lineage. Both Bruce Hair and many current registry owners believe every animal should have a home, a place where they can be registered, traced, and benefit from the same programs other animals have.   The IDGR (now IDSCR, International Goat, Sheep, Camelid Registry) was founded on and continues to hold the belief that all animals are of value.

During the following decades, other goat owners emerged who needed a place to register their animals, but no registry existed. Some of these include:

  • San Clemente Island Goat
  • Soay sheep
  • Romeldale CVM sheep
  • Miniature Nubian
  • Miniature Alpine (and other mini-dairy breeds)
  • Colored Angora

Not Without Struggles and Trials

As breeders and owners, we still continue to search for a place:

  • To register and keep the records of our goats, sheep and camelids who have no place with other registries or who are rare breeds
  • Where our precious animals are valued and given the same chances and opportunities as others
  • Where records are stored back to the beginnings of the breed we raise, so that we can more fully understand what benefits and qualities your chosen breed holds
  • Where people aren’t into all the politics
  • Where herd books are open to new lineages
  • Where we can create a new breed

I,  myself am a Nigerian Dwarf breeder and owner.  My first little friends were two unpedigreed Nigerian Dwarf does (Ethel and Thumbolina) and one Nigerian Dwarf doe (Lucy) whom I had to go after her pedigree and get her registered.  This is how I was introduced to IDGR (now IGSCR).  It held a special place in my heart then, and it still does now.

Our Mission

IGSCR stands for:

  • Open Herd Books
  • Breeding to Purebred Status. We believe this to be vital in the stability of our breeds
  • Working One-on-One to meet your needs
  • Unique Milk Test and Registry of Merit Program
  • Show Program (Get your photos and video ready)
  • New Breed creation
  • 4H and Youth Program

We at International Goat, Sheep, Camelid Registry dig deep into the pedigrees (where those pedigrees exist) to produce accurate records of our animals.  We delve into the beginnings of the pedigree of your animal where you wish it, to determine your animal’s percentage of that breed.

We keep open herd books and accept grade animals. There are still so many unrecognized lineages which hold valuable and precious potential to our breeds.  We also recognize that for various reasons (perhaps due to financial reasons, or the death of owner/breeder), animals have gone unregistered and thus records are lost.  Many of these animals are just as purebred as the recorded purebred, as can be seen in their offspring generation after generation, with nary an offspring who does not conform to breed standards.

We accept new breeds, which is the basis of how all breeds were created. We truly are committed to helping breeders breed for the best and to keeping the breeds pure and separate. IGSCR has many safeguards in place to ensure the purity of the breeds and conformation to their respective breed standards.

We create programs to build and improve our herds and genetics, as well as to enjoy and have fun with our little pets.  Whether your goal is dairy or fiber production, or having a pet, we hold a place in our heart for you and your animals.

We are very excited to see IGSCR grow.  We can’t wait to work with all of you, and we continually expand our services to you as well as provide information through this website. Please share your ideas, questions, or concerns with us. Call or write, and keep in mind, we are often in the fields with our own four-legged charges, so reception may be spotty at times!

From beginnings as International Dairy Goat Registry (IDGR) to International Goat, Sheep, Camelid Registry (IGSCR), our goal remains the same: to serve you and your precious animals. We extend our warmest welcome and heartfelt invitation to IGSCR. We are a family and we work together to help each other.

In the News

The Goat Journal has published our Article, and here is a clip:

Changes to The IDGR
Now Called the IGSCR, the Registry Keeps Many of The Same Values by Peggy Boone
The International Dairy Goat Registry has been a vital resource to goat and sheep producers for over 30 years. Now the IDGR is under new ownership and transitioning through exciting changes. Began in 1980 by Bruce Hair in Texas, it addressed problems he saw arising with other organizations: more concentration on showing and less on the true value and quality of goats. Prices rose while owners and breeders were unable to record the values of animals that could withstand the tests of time and harsh lives. So Bruce began the Registry to more fully and accurately meet the needs of goat owners and to lower prices.