Sara's Moooving Experience

We drove up to Kentucky last night and spent the night with Sara's former owners, a very nice family who generously put us up in their guest room, fed us breakfast, and gave us a crash course this morning in cattle husbandry.  This was our first sight of Sara in their pasture.  After seeing how they milk their mini-Jersey and learning about Sara's likes (apples and buckets of feed) and dislikes (vets, dogs, and needles), Sara was persuaded to get in the trailer with apples and gentle coaxing with a lead rope.  We headed out for our 5-hour trip home.

Sara is a great traveler!  She was very calm every time we checked on her.  One cute young woman cashier at a gas station wanted to see her and said, "Oh, she's laying down!"  Then when I took her over to the other door that we could open wider (because Sara couldn't get out that way if she got it into her head), she realized that Sara was actually standing up!  She'd never heard of a cow that size!  She very kindly gave us an over-ripe banana for Sara, but Sara was not interested, so we brought it home for the chickens.

Shortly before dark, we got home and let Sara down the ramp into the round pen, since the horses were down in the field.  She walked down the ramp like a model who does it every day!  :)  Here Herb is talking to Sara through the round pen panel; you can see what a nice size she is.

Sara explored the barn and round pen, found the salt lick, tasted some of her old hay and some of her new hay, and had a drink of water.  Hero stole some of her old hay and ate it because it had cow manure in it!  Yum!

She checked out the view and met Hero.  She was NOT amused by his barking and invitation to play!  Hopefully he'll be smart enough to figure out what horn-shaking means.  We've been told that when a neighbor's dog chased her calf around the pasture, after one lap, Sara had had enough and hooked the dog over the fence.  Now when he comes to visit with his owner, he doesn't visit the cows!

Zephyr and Sara met, too.  Sara is not impressed with Zephyr's barking when I shovel manure, but otherwise she doesn't seem to mind Zephyr.  Zephyr thinks Sara's the perfect size!

So now our little farm family has grown to 15!  Herb and I, Hero, Zephyr, Precious, Peekaboo, Angel, Brandy, Sterling, Rascal, Gypsy, Pepita, Esmerelda, and Victoria all say: Welcome, Sara!