The original rent-a-goat company
We've been putting goats to work since 2010 — long before goat grazing was cool.
Our story
Rent A Goat was founded in 2010 by then-22-year-old entrepreneur Matthew Richmond, together with veteran goat rancher Mike Canaday. The idea was simple: goats are nature's brush-clearing machines, so why not connect hungry herds with overgrown land?
The concept caught fire. Within a few years, Rent A Goat had been featured in The Wall Street Journal, on the Today Show, on Live! with Regis and Kelly, on CNN — and in 2014 the founders pitched the business on ABC's Shark Tank. The Sharks passed; the goats didn't care. The company kept growing, earning a spot in Entrepreneur Magazine's "100 Brilliant Companies" along the way.
Today our herds number in the thousands, and the mission has grown more serious: reducing dangerous fire fuel across California. We work with homeowners, HOAs, businesses, and federal, state, and county agencies on projects from a few acres to hundreds — clearing brush, suppressing invasives, and cutting fire risk on terrain machines can't touch.
Want the fuller story? Read Rent A Goat on Shark Tank and a decade of media coverage — or meet the team behind the herd.
What we believe
- Animal welfare first. Our goats travel in roomy trailers, get full veterinary care, and work under the watch of professional herders and guard dogs.
- Real environmental impact. Grazing manages vegetation without synthetic herbicides or fuel-burning machinery — and it's one of the few methods welcome near waterways and sensitive habitats.
- Fire-safety focus. Our herds have cleared enormous amounts of fire burden across California, working with fire districts and agencies on fuel-reduction projects.
- Do it right. We're fully licensed, registered, and insured, with decades of combined grazing experience.
By the numbers
Founded 2010 · Thousands of goats · Herds of up to 450 clearing about an acre a day · Serving all of California · Featured on national TV coast to coast
Fun fact
Google famously brought in a Rent A Goat–style herd to mow its Mountain View headquarters — goats have been Silicon Valley–approved since 2009.
What people say
“It's really been a win-win for us. It's cost effective, it's environmentally friendly. And it's fun.”
“They have saved us thousands of dollars… animals can do something besides look cute and fuzzy — they can also serve a purpose in our society, helping us keep our environment clean.”
“To have people do what these goats do, to clear the amount they would do, would be financially impossible.”
Ready to clear your property naturally?
Talk to a real person about your property and get a free estimate over the phone — we serve properties across California and generally require about a 5-acre minimum per project.
Call 1-858-751-GOATSee how it works