‘No pay. No explanation. No apologies’: 60-year-old rancher gets cornered by a wealthy acquaintance from high school to have his goats clear the brush on her land for free, he refuses and the Malibu woman turns snobby

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Jesse Kessenheimer • Writer and Editor
May 14, 2025 9:00 AM EDT

Reaching out to an old friend can be awkward and a bit uncomfortable at first, but with enough pleasantries and catching up, a friendship from decades ago can be reignited. However, when the first word you've exchanged in 40 years is demands for a favor, burning the bridge towards a fast friendship lights up faster than reminiscent memories. 

This rancher used to own a goat-run, brush-clearing business. Using his livestock to clear away unwanted brush in the California hills proved to be lucrative and rewarding work, so by the time he reached his 60s, he was happy to retire his army of goats and hang up his cowboy hat. That is, until he received a phone call from a seemingly desperate old friend. 

However, her desperation came just shy of her checkbook. Despite inheriting millions and a Malibu coastal mansion, she refused to offer him a cent for his goat services and demanded he simply 'do her a favor.' There are few friendships where it's acceptable to force your counterpart into manual labor without pay, but for a long-lost high school acquaintance, there was no way this rancher was going to leave the comfort of his wrap-around patio rocking chair—with or without the goats!

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  • Cheezburger Image 10504912896
    via ChuckSchugPhotography

    The image does not depict the actual subjects of the story. Subjects are models.

  • Hey, I'm rich, but can I use your goats for free? I'm doing you a favor. M I have a very small ranch in California. I
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  • used to own a brush clearing business using goats. I haven't done that in years, but I do still have two elderly mini goats. Yesterday I got an email from a friend I've known since HS. We're both in our
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  • 60s now. She lives overseas and also has a massive house in Malibu with a lot of land. She comes from a family with a known name that was one of the wealthiest in California. She inherited millions. She has never for a minute lived without.
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  • The email let me know that she was in town to deal with her Malibu house as her land was damaged by our recent fires. She asked if I could "bring my goats over to munch on the brush on
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  • her land?" I haven't heard from her in over a year. No talk of pay. No explanation. The email was written as though she was doing me a friendly favor and it would be no big deal for me to haul two goats over to her place,
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  • Cheezburger Image 10504912640
    via Vlada Karpovich

    The image does not depict the actual subjects of the story. Subjects are models.

  • spend a few days overseeing them eating, hauling them back and forth at night....as a favor, for free. I explained that my goats were old, and that I didn't do that any more. That the
    via Minkiemink
  • work involved with doing something like this was pretty extensive. No apologies were forthcoming. Instead, she was miffed and wanted to know if I knew anyone else who would do that for her....? Undoubtedly for free. I told
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  • her I did not know anyone with goats. I do, but I'll be damned if I'm going to subject them to this entitled woman. She abruptly said "thanks" and that was it. No, "let's get together, I'm in
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  • town." No, "it would be nice to see you." Just, "let me use your goats for free, why won't you do that for me?" This same woman some years ago, descended on a mutual close friend
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  • who was dong. She insisted on staying at the dng friend's house, taking up all of the woman and her family's time, energy and resources to the point she had to be asked to leave because she was imposing so much. At that time, I
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  • had to cancel my long planned and paid for trip to see my very close friend before she d d because this woman drained all of their energy. My best friend d d without seeing me because of this woman and her entitlement.
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  • At the funeral, only my de id friend's family were supposed to speak, but the Malibu woman had written a 3 page speech that she thought she was going to give, because she considers herself "family". When she got up and tried to
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  • head up to the front of the church to speak, my de id friend's brother finally had enough. He stood up, grabbed this woman by the arm and forcefully dragged her back to her seat. He was furious.
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  • I suppose it shouldn't be a surprise, but the sheer entitlement of some people who were born into money never fails to shock me.
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  • MissDez. Good thinking to not refer her to a friend and have her assume that it would be a freebie because it was a referral from you. She sounds exhausting.
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  • Famous-Upstairs 998 I'm surprised you answered her email at all given what happened with your dong friend.
    via Famous-Upstairs 998
  • HolySmokes_Dad Jokes . Main character syndrome
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  • SpeechMuted It sounds like (at least at this point) describing her as a "friend" might be stretching it.
    via SpeechMuted

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ranchers rancher goat land goats branch malibu wealthy ranch rich people property free entitled people brush clearing
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