Like many breeds of domesticated livestock, the complete history of the Nigerian Dwarf is incomplete.Through the years and stages of development, records were not always kept, or if they were, they are sketchy at best. Developing the history of the breed is much like putting a jigsaw puzzle together that is missing many of its pieces. To reach the present day Nigerian Dwarf, one has to use a combination of documented facts, speculation, deductive reasoning and a little imagination.
What is known is that throughout tropical Western Africa,there is a type of goat referred to as the West African Dwarf (WAD). These goats are used as a food source, both meat and milk, for the local population. Due to economic hardships, keeping "pets" was not an option. It appears that little thought is used in breeding and it is truly a survival of the fittest phenomenon taking place. In the writings about Albert Schweitzer and his work at his hospital in Lambrene in the country now known as Gabone, the local goat is often times referred to, and in fact is credited with supplying the milk for the hospital. The imported breeds typically known as dairy breeds weren't able to withstand the Tse-Tse fly, and therefore were not productive. The WAD goats continued to survive and thrive. Throughout books on Dr. Schweitzer, pictures of goats similar in type to what are referred to as a Nigerian Dwarves in the U.S. can be found.
Exactly how the WAD goats came to American soil is one of the missing pieces in the puzzle. One theory is that as the big cats were shipped to zoos, goats were loaded on to the vessels as a food source for the cats while in transit. The goats that weren't consumed went on to the zoos. As early as 1918, Joseph Crepin reported in the second edition of la Chevre that WAD goats had been imported to the United States. Additionally, there were a number of documented importations from the 1930s to the 1960s.
The beginning of the breed in this country lies in zoos. The first miniature goats to appear in this country were part of zoo exhibits, and occasionally research institutions. As the population began to grow, it became necessary to reduce the number of animals and individuals had their first opportunity to own these unique goats. Originally, all small goats of WAD origin were indiscriminately referred to as pygmies. In the beginning, pygmy was used more to describe a size of goat rather than a specific breed, much like Swiss is often times used to refer to the various erect eared breeds hailing from Europe.
As time went on, breeders began to notice differences in type within what had become the Pygmy breed. It became apparent that there were two distinct types: the shorter legged, heavier bodied, round bone animals more typical of what is known today as a Pygmy, and the more refined, angular animal that has become today's Nigerian Dwarf. As breeders began to communicate, they discovered there were others in the United States and Canada that had similar observances. Mrs. Bonnie Abrahamson of North Ogden, Utah, while working in a zoo in California was one of the first to notice the distinctive difference.
Mrs. Abrahamson brought several black and white animals that she referred to as Nigerian Dwarves to an AGS Pygmy certification committee. Despite their more refined type and dairy appearance, these animals were accepted into the AGS Pygmy herdbook. At about the same time, Mr. Heabert Woods of Alexandria, Indiana, had animals similar in type to Mrs. Abrahamsons, but brown in color, refused entry into the National Pygmy Goat Associations herdbooks because of their color.
These two breeders petitioned the International Dairy Goat Registry (IDGR) to open a herdbook for Nigerian Dwarves. IDGR opened a separate herdbook for the breed, complete with a standard emphasizing dairy characteristics, and on July 24, 1981, Mr. Robert Johnson's Bullfrog Alleys Johnny Jump-Up #2, a buck bred by Mrs. Abrahamson, became the first Nigerian Dwarf registered by any registry. By January 1987, there were 384 animals registered in the herdbooks of IDGR as Nigerian Dwarves, with 93 of those registered the previous year alone. In part, largely due to the fact that IDGR does not sanction shows, the popularity of the registry has waned over the years.
In 1984, the American Goat Society (AGS) opened a herdbook for Nigerian Dwarves, and by September of the following year, 82 animals, representing breeders from 8 states and Canada had been registered. The first AGS registered Nigerian Dwarf distinction goes to Wrights Pansy, AGS # D-1f, owned by Francis Wright of Indiana. Mr. Woods was instrumental in getting a separate herdbook for the breed with AGS, and was made chairman of the Nigerian Dwarf committee. Mr. Wright and Pat Freeman of Dutton, Ontario completed the original Nigerian Dwarf committee for AGS.
The early Nigerian Dwarves were seen most often in three distinct color lines, all of similar type, even though many of the early breeders attempted to keep each color line separate from the others. A majority of these early animals were brown, black or gold, all with or without random white markings. Possibly because of the limited number of representatives of the breed, breeders did begin to mix the color lines fairly early on, although references to specific color lines could still be found as late as 1988.
From the first show in 1985 with a few animals, it is now not uncommon for a show of Nigerian Dwarves only to approach 200 animals. AGS sanctioned shows are being held in almost every part of the country, and Nigerian Dwarf breeders are traveling thousands of miles a year to promote the breed and their herds.
In 2002, the Nigerian Dwarf was also accepted into the American Dairy Goat Association herdbook. The first ADGA National with a Nigerian show will be held in 2010.
***( The above information was copied from andda.org, visit their website for more information)***