Annie Oakley came to our farm sanctuary in 2015 when she was only about 10 days old. She is a Holstein, and most likely had been separated from her mother at birth -- a common practice in the dairy industry. Calves are taken from their mothers at only a few hours old, just enough time for their mother to clean them up and bonding to begin. This is done so calves don't drink the milk intended for human consumption.

 

This is a very sad practice, and it's not uncommon for the mother to cry out when her babies are taken away. Even more tragic, most dairy industry calves are sold cheap as "feeder calves," sometimes at auction and other times in mass numbers, heading to feed lots where they are fattened for butcher.

 

Many other dairy industry babies are kept confined in small boxes with no room to walk or move, where they are bottle-fed until they slaughtered for veal.

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Thankfully, Annie Oakley has a much happier story. She was found "mooooo"ving about the streets of Bolivar with no one claiming her. We believe she possibly jumped, or fell from a transport truck passing through town. Per county regulations, Annie became property of the City of Bolivar, and was scheduled to be auctioned to the highest bidder.

 

C.A.R.E. Farm Sanctuary was contacted by Dianne with Bolivar Animal Control. She wanted the best possible outcome for Annie. Working with Dianne, and a small group of caring people, we raised the funds needed to be the highest bidder at Annie's auction!

 

We were thrilled that Annie Oakley would come to call our Farm Sanctuary home. She was a rambunctious and loving calf! She loved people so much that she learned to jump over the door to her stall, and would run down the aisle to greet us. She learned the halter quickly, but never really needed it because she always wanted to go wherever her people go anyway. As a calf, she followed us around like a puppy and still does at over 1000 pounds!

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She is a fantastic ambassador for how wonderful, smart, and loving cows can be when they are treated with kindness. She loves to soak you with big wet cow kisses or lay her head against you for hugs. She is just an amazing friend!

 

Annie's sponsorship will provide mineral blocks, parasite and fly prevention, hoof trims, feed/hay and carrots. Sponsorship available for Annie Oakley is $40 monthly.

Sweet Kathy joined our herd in December 2016 and became a seeing-eye cow for Dreamer, a blind calf rescued a month earlier.  Kathy was raised on a bottle and loves people!  She is so gentle and loving, bonding with Dreamer almost immediately. She groomed, played and slept with her.  Kathy was a loving calf with people too, and now that she is over 500 pounds, nothing has changed! She still comes running over to greet visitors for some loving and petting! She is a gentle spirit and has a kind heart.

 

Sponsorship for Kathy is $40 monthly and will provide a mineral block, hay/feed, parasite and fly prevention and carrots.

Daisy is a darling senior Jersey cross cow.  She was owned by a nice couple who wanted a milk cow for their small hobby farm. She was never able to produce a calf and therefore could never produce milk. Most cows that cannot produce are sent to butcher, but this family had grown to love Daisy and decided they would let her live as a pet on their farm.

 

As the years passed, her family's health declined and they fell on hard times.  They could no longer properly care for Daisy, and were faced with very sad options. 

 

Luckily, Daisy's family was told about C.A.R.E. and reached out for help, asking if we could make room for their beloved pet cow at our Farm Sanctuary. Daisy joined our happy heard in 2017 and is a perfect fit!  She won our hearts and immediately became a beloved part of our farm family!

 

Daisy's sponsorship will provide mineral blocks, parasite and fly prevention, hoof trims, feed/hay and carrots. Sponsorship available for Daisy is $40 monthly.

Hoss is a big guy with a gentle heart. He was raised as a show calf steer, by a young boy who loved him very much. Hoss was part of a program designed to teach troubled youth responsibility.

 

Upon program completion, it is common practice for animals to be sold at cost per pound for their meat value, or to the highest bidder. This is essentially the grand finale after raising and showing farm animals.

 

As this day approached, the boy was visibly upset. He asked for permission to keep Hoss from being auctioned for his meat-value, but his request was denied.  Hoss the steer would be sold at auction and he most assuredly would go to slaughter.

 

Just as it seemed hopeless, a woman who worked with these kids noticed what was happening. Being an advocate for animal and children she intervened, spending her own money to outbid the slaughter company during auction. Hoss's life was spared.

 

Hoss soon became too big for her to care for, and he needed a safe place to live out his life. He joined our farm sanctuary as a 6-year-old steer in 2015, and is now a 10-year-old that weighs over 1000 pounds!

 

Hoss spends his days grazing and roaming the hills, and enjoys companionship of the other cows. He is gentle with the youngsters and loving towards the seniors that share his pastures. He is just as sweet as they come, and we are happy he came to call our Farm Sanctuary home.

 

Sponsorship for Hoss is $40 monthly and will provide a mineral block, hay/feed, parasite and fly prevention, hoof trims and carrots.

Dreamer was only two months old when she was sold to a feed lot as a blind calf. She was meant to be loaded onto a transport truck, along with more than 70 other calves, but her fate turned when the calves were being loaded onto trucks at a transfer station. 

 

Since Dreamer was blind, she was not able to follow the other calves, and accidentally wandered from the rest of the transport group. This lead to her great escape! The trucks left her behind and she blindly roamed the area for several days. She was extremely fearful of people and would not be caught easily.

 

As the days went by, she became weaker, slower and finally a rescue team was able to capture and bring her to safety. She was just a baby, but so fearful that we could not touch her without causing her to panic. We gave her space and fed her from hand-held buckets, but she needed more.  This is when we took in a white and brown calf named Kathy.

 

Kathy became Dreamers seeing eye cow, helping Dreamer navigate the farm!  Dreamer would begin to behave like a happy calf playing, grooming with Kathy, bouncing and bonding.  Now, Dreamer is much bigger and she knows her way around the pastures, but often stays near Kathy and the other cows. She knows where they are at all times, and we have seen Kathy and the other cows go get Dreamer if she turns the wrong direction or gets lost and calls for help. It is amazing to see how these cows work together to help Dreamer! We are happy this little blind calf joined our Farm Sanctuary in November of 2016 where she continues to thrive!

 

Sponsorship for Dreamer is $40 monthly