RIP Beulah

My dad left behind quite the eclectic collection of pets when he passed last year. Everyone has read about our donkey (mis)adventures. The Don, the stray rooster that my parents adopted, made many appearances on the blog through the years until he passed last fall. My dad also left behind a few cows that we collectively referred to as the pet cows.  These were cows that my dad, for one reason or another, chose to keep through the years instead of selling them. We lost the matriarch of the pet cows today, Beulah. 

My dad bought Beulah in 1994 and she received her name courtesy of my sister. Beulah proceeded to have a calf every single year for 12 years in a row. After that my dad decided she had done enough and she earned the coveted status of Pet Cow.  She spent the last seven years hanging out on the farm and doing nothing but eating, sleeping, and standing around - the perfect life for a cow. We do not know how old Beulah actually was. We know that she was at my parents' farm for 19 years and she was at least two years old when my dad purchased her. So we know she was at least 21 but possibly even older than that. 

Through the years that Jason knew Beulah he stubbornly refused to call her by her name. She had one horn on her head and he insisted on calling her One Prong. We all  hated it when he would refer to her as One Prong because really, how awful of a name is that? But somehow over time we all started calling her by that nickname. Thus the last few years Beulah was sometimes called Beulah and sometimes called One Prong. 

Beulah, or One Prong

napping with her son Buster

the pet cows having a lazy day

Beulah and Buster

Beulah is in the front row of cows in the center. To her right is her son Buster and to her left is her daughter Annie. The red cow to the far right of the picture is her granddaughter. The pet cows have lost their matriarch.

Jason found Beulah down in the pasture this morning. That in itself was not unusual as she was always a big napper, but she was far away from the other pet cows. He walked out to check on her and she was unable to get up. Thankfully the vet happened to be nearby and came right over to examine her. She didn't act particularly stressed but no matter how hard she tried she simply could not get up. The vet said there was nothing that could reasonably be done to help her so we said our goodbyes and she was euthanized. She did not struggle at all as the vet examined her and laid on the ground very quietly as the euthanasia drugs were administered. 

As I mentioned above Beulah was the matriarch of the pet cows. She is the mom to one of the other pet cows, Buster, and the grandmother to another one. After having 12 calves it would be hard not to leave a legacy behind. 

RIP Beulah.

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This was quite the lazy day scene . . . 

. . . from left to right it was Renny and Dutch . . . 

. . . and Wiz . . . 

. . . and Darby, Alex, Sam and B-Rad

George and Asterik

 Clayton was taking a nap and minding his own business. Johnny walked over and pawed at him, and when that didn't make Clayton get up and play with him he proceeded to nip him on the rump. How rude!

Waiting for the farrier clearly takes a lot of energy out of the horses.  Levendi, Homer, Baby, Elfin and Moe.

Apollo, Hemi and Thomas were all resting the same leg. Levendi was napping in front of them.

Apollo was really out of it complete with closed eyes, drooping lower lip, and hay hanging in his face. The retired life is demanding.

Trigger offered to help carry some halters