A fortune-telling billy goat called Boots is a smash hit with spectators after being trained to perform like a dog with an animal stunt group.

Animal trainer Sue Zacharias, 49, has taught Boots the goat to do a whole host of tricks normally tackled by performing dogs - and he has one trick up his sleeve that even the pooches won't attempt.

Sue, a mum-of-two, said the adorable goat's parlour trick is to predict the future of guests at their shows.

But the billy can also jump through hoops, perform balancing manoeuvres and stand up on two feet.

Glasgow Times:

Sue said: "Boots has his own trick during shows - fortune telling.

"From his box he is given two fortunes written on pieces of paper and chooses one for a special audience member.

"He always thinks about it very hard before picking one - and everybody loves it."

Boots, a two year old pedigree Golden Guernsey goat is part of Sue's Les Amis D'onna equine stunt team based at Lanton Hill Farm in Jedburgh, Scottish Borders.

Working alongside 14 horses, four dogs and sixteen members of staff Boots and the stunt team joust and perform at outdoor events across the UK.

Glasgow Times:

Sue said: "He's the size of a large dog. We walk him on a lead and everything.

"He copies a lot of the things the dogs do and I am in the middle of training him to give a foot - like a dog gives a paw - just now."

And Sue, who has been working in the animal entertainment industry for 24 years, said people have gone crazy for the farm animal "celebrity".

She said: "He is massively unusual - he's a bit of a celebrity.

"I don't think there's another performing goat in the whole of Scotland, so he's very special."

The unlikely performing partners have been wowing spectators with their Britain's Got Talent-style act for more than two years.

Sue said training Boots is no different to training the dogs in her group.

She said: "Training a goat is like training any animal.

"You've got to have a good relationship with it.

"I've been working with Boots since he was three months old so there is a lot of trust there.

"He's doing lots of tricks to keep busy.

"He thinks a lot - to start with he's quite slow. He doesn't want to rush into anything but once he understands what you are telling him he is very good and picks it up well."

Boots was adopted by the Zacharias family when he was only two months old after being rejected by his mum.

Bottle fed by Sue, he has grown up to be very strong and has become a loved member of the family.

Sue said: I think he thinks I am his real mum - if he hears my voice he'll look up and come running over to me, just like a pet.

"The day I got him I had only gone to buy a cart for one of the horses and I saw these goats.

"The owner told me about Boots and asked if I wanted him. I didn't intend to leave with one of them but there you go.

"And it has worked out brilliantly - I don't know what we would do without Boots."

Alongside husband Andrew, 56, and children Bethany, 27 and Jacob, 26, Sue started the family business in France in 1994.

Sue said: "Jacob and Bethany were only four and five when we moved to France.

"Weirdly enough, people in the next village ran an animal entertainment company and Bethany just went mad for it.

"Little girls always love horses, but when I saw the wonderful things they were doing I wanted to be involved.

"When they retired we offered to take it over and everything just developed from there.

"Now we are based in Scotland and the company is going from strength to strength."