“If the family wanted to withdraw the animal from the auction before it ended why couldn’t they?”
You sign an agreement when you put anything up for auction, and the terms are defined there. If there is a period when you can back out, it’s in the contract, otherwise you can’t (unless nobody bids and you get the thing back).
If she really wanted the goat back, the solution was probably to make the winning bid, not to steal it.
Excellent point.
Bingo. Should have made the winning bid, paid themselves and took the goat home.