'Baa-a-a.' Clunk!

Out with Akitas. potbellied pigs? Passe.

The up-and-coming pet is the fainting goat, so dubbed becasue it stiffens up and keels over when startled.

"Fainting goats are a growing exotic pet trend, not a hot new fad," says Maureen Neidhardt, publisher of Exotic Breeds Journal. "You'll see more people wanting them as domestics instead of other rare animals."

In truth, faiting goats don't really faint. When startled, their muscles stiffen and they tip over for 20 seconds to a minute. Then they get up. No problem! Fainters don't have to be terrified to pass out. Just a little surprise will do it.

"When I first got mine, just walking into the pen would make them faint," syas Gail De Gough of Gilroy, California. "But they got used to me."

"They almost talk to you," Neidhardt says. Her doe Mercy lives in the pantry, walks on a leash, eats alfalfa and corn and frolics with Neidhardt's son and kitten.

Fainting goats were near extinction in 1987 when breeders began cultivating them. Now there are 2,030 registered in the U.S. says Ruth Prentice of the ******** in Terril, Iowa.

Some animal rights activists are against their revival. Steven Simmons of People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals calls the fainting a genetic defect and the breeding "irresponsible."

The mostly rural-dwelling owners say the fainting is harmless and that the goats are pretty, gregarious, winsome and affectionate. Fainters cost $300-$700, weigh 35-50 pounds and stand 15-20 inches. Most prized hue? Black-and-white. You can't buy them in pet stores, only from breeders. To register your premium fainter with the ********, you must submit three photos: two side views and one in mid-faint.

Just focus and say boo!

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