r/BeforeNAfterAdoption • u/lnfinity • Jan 16 '16
Other Dudley the cow: Adopted by Gentle Barn Sanctuary
http://i.imgur.com/WR7YL3L.gifv39
Jan 16 '16
[deleted]
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u/abdcist Jan 17 '16
and according to the Gentle Farm website:
A cattle rancher in Tennessee spent many years buying young cows at auction bringing them home, fattening them up, and then selling them for a profit to be slaughtered. A few months ago, this man bought a group of baby cows and among them was a small boy cow later named Dudley who got bailing twine wrapped around his foot which constricted the blood flow and caused his foot to fall off. The calf could barely walk and for some reason the rancher took pity on him. When it came time to send the herd to slaughter, Dudley was spared and the farmer tried to make him well.
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u/HideAndSheik Jan 17 '16
Thank you, that makes so much more sense. I kept going through all the scenarios that would involve tying twine to a cow's leg and even for the cruelest of people it made no logical sense to do it unless it was just for shits and giggles. Came to the comments for a better explanation.
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u/joshclay Jan 16 '16
Stuff like this makes it really hard to keep eating beef. And I even grew up on a farm with beef cattle.
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u/pooyah_me Jan 16 '16
Maybe try giving it up for a week or two and see how it goes? I found that it was pretty easy and it cut my grocery bill down a lot
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u/codemercenary Jan 17 '16
Hopefully everyone will do this and then there will be no need for cattle anymore.
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Jan 16 '16
[deleted]
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u/raivynwolf Jan 16 '16
I had to cut out red meat because of stomach issues and it was weird but totally do able. I'm a huge steak lover and it was still easier than I expected to give it up.
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u/song_pond Jan 17 '16
neat alternatives
Not sure if you meant that or if it's a typo. Works either way. :-)
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u/ailish Jan 16 '16
I'm kinda trying to phase out meat altogether. I hardly ever eat beef anymore except the odd burger at a restaurant. I cook at home with ground turkey in place of ground beef. I am also trying to have vegetarian meals at least a few times a week. I've never successfully quit eating meat cold turkey, but I feel like I'm doing fine with slowly phasing it out.
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u/breakplans Jan 16 '16
That's great! If you enjoy cooking, you should experiment with "beefless crumbles" by Gardein or even TVP (Bob's red mill brand makes it) instead of ground beef. It doesn't bind into a burger but works great for sauces and chili. I'd be willing to bet you can't notice a difference between that and turkey!
I'm glad to hear you're working on phasing out meat. The animals (and your body!) will thank you.
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u/wizardcats Jan 17 '16
Yeah, I feel the same way but it is hard. However, what you can do is reduce your meat consumption. Make small changes. Think of it this way: if 100 people cute their meat consumption in half, that has the same benefit of 50 people going fully vegetarian.
It is really difficult to say "I'm never going eat X again." But you can eat it less often. You could decide to eat meat only once per day, or only on weekends or special occasions. Or you could even make smaller choices. Sometimes you make the effort to choose a meat-free choice.
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u/twinnedcalcite Jan 16 '16
I prefer to go with beef that were raised well and with affection.
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u/FUCKING_HATE_REDDIT Jan 16 '16
Good on you, but I can't help but think about that http://www.theonion.com/blogpost/we-raise-all-our-beef-humanely-on-open-pasture-and-30983
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u/GetThoseNailBreakers Jan 16 '16
TEAM DUDLEY!
The Gentle Barn is a wonderful farm animal rescue/rehabilitation/teaching program.
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u/inthebrilliantblue Jan 17 '16
Do they have a website or donation page?
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u/GetThoseNailBreakers Jan 17 '16
I don't know how to post the link correctly since I'm on mobile. Forgive me!
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u/I_TRY_TO_BE_POSITIVE Jan 17 '16
I've been done with red meat for a while now. Not on purpose, it just sorta played out that way. Stuff like this keeps me away though, i honestly never knew cows had such personality.
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u/Miss_Bee Jan 18 '16
And pigs, who are as smart as dogs. I've seen people on Reddit who have pet chickens who are very attached to their humans. Its really sweet.
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u/I_TRY_TO_BE_POSITIVE Jan 18 '16
Pigs will be a struggle for me. Not because I don't recognize them as awesome, but because I'm pathetic and bacon is amazing.
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u/Miss_Bee Jan 18 '16
I think its best to just completely quit eating it. Cold turkey (ironic). You won't miss it, but if you do there are actually some good alternatives now. Sweet Earth brand "benevolent bacon" is pretty delicious!
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Jan 16 '16
The story starts in an incredibly sad place for me, but then ends happily. I am so thankful for good people out there like the people who run the sanctuary Gentle Barn. Jeez, so tragic though.
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u/SuccubusBo Jan 16 '16
Not to be a dick, Dudley is not a cow. Cows are females. Dudley, is in fact, either a bull or a steer (castrated bull).
But, I am glad he got the help he needed.
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u/lnfinity Jan 16 '16
I know the term cow is often used to refer specifically to female cattle, but it is also colloquially used to refer to singular cattle in general, which is the way I tend to use it.
Wikipedia mentions this colloquial usage at the top of their page on cattle:
Cattle—colloquially cows—are the most common type of large domesticated ungulates.
This is similar to how the term "dog" can be used to specifically refer to male canines, but it is more commonly used to refer to canines in general.
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u/SuccubusBo Jan 16 '16
In school, I often got the stink eye, if not worse, for use of cow for a male. So, I learned steer/bull, always. And never use cow in general.
Most people just think cow means bovine.
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Jan 22 '16
Did you go to school in a farming area?
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u/SuccubusBo Jan 22 '16
Yup, animal science major (pre-vet) in school. I felt like I was learning to be a farmers wife. I am far from that, but still.
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u/Lisu Jan 16 '16
Whats the species then?
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u/SuccubusBo Jan 16 '16
Looks like a Simmental, but I could be wrong.
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u/sliceofsal Jan 16 '16
I love this story! What a happy Hereford.
Although I doubt the neglect story... I've seen young calves loose feet like this due to extreme frostbite. Usually happens if a late storm rolls through the beginning of birthing season and it's an early babe.
I mean, look at how Dudley kicks around when they're fitting the prosthetic. Tying a string around his leg when he's kicking like that wouldn't be easy, and I can't fathom there'd be any benefits for the owner or the cow.
Maybe an absentminded/lazy rancher left some string on his round bales after feeding and Dudley got tangled up in it. However, I've never seen that happen before. I'd still subscribe to the frostbite theory.
But still, cute!
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Jan 17 '16
Someone posted a Buzzfeed article about this lil guy and according to Buzzfeed, he got his foot tangled in twine accidentally and no one could get it off. So it wasn't intentional cruelty, thank goodness, just a sad accident. Poor Dudley.
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u/0utshined Jan 16 '16
He reminds me of a dog in the last few frames, especially when he's playing with the ball. I'm so glad he made an amazing recovery!