Summer and Freedom, from Dairy to Sanctuary

by Marji Beach

categories: Animal Profiles, Dairy and Eggs, Farm Animals, Sanctuaries

Published September 24, 2009 @ 07:34AM PT

You've seen (and will continue to see) Marji's wonderful posts at the Animal Place Sanctuary blog included often in the Animals in the Blogs roundups lately (and hopefully, you've been following those links to check out her posts; if not, now's the time). Please welcome her for her first guest post here. -S. Ernst

On a cool spring day, Summer and Freedom were born at separate dairy farms. Like almost all calves in the dairy industry, they were taken from their mom mere seconds after birth. The most powerful bond between mother cow and her calf was immediately denied. Since these two calves were male, they were of no monetary value to the farmer. Male dairy calves are sold when they are only a couple days old –- purchasers raise them for veal or “cheap” beef. At auction, the calves are sold for $3-20. Dairy farmers make no money off of male dairy calves.

Summer and Freedom did not even sell -- Summer was so malnourished that every rib was painfully visible; Freedom lacked a tail, a congenital defect that may cause lifelong digestive problems. Because of their poor start, Summer and Freedom required intensive care. They spent their first four days at a veterinary hospital receiving IV fluids and other medications to keep them healthy.

Amazingly, after they settled into their new home at Animal Place, both transformed from shy, scared calves to gregarious, mischievous troublemakers! They taste-test everything, including shoe laces and hair. Now they are three months old and are growing fast. Neither look skinny; both are happy with their buddha-bellies. Every day, they try something new: playing with a big, orange plastic ball; jumping over the potbellied pigs; seeing if Matt, the rooster, will play with them (he won't).

They are also spending more and more time with the resident adult cattle. Even though they are 5-6 times larger than Summer and Freedom, the other cattle modify their playing style to accommodate the smaller calves. These two calves are the lucky ones –- part of their job, if you can call it that, will be to show people how wonderful cattle are and how easy it is to help them by not eating them or drinking their milk. It’s so amazing to think they will spend the next 15-20 years roaming the pastures and meadows with their friends and family, a good life.

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Photo courtesy Marji Beach and Animal Place Sanctuary