The sanctuary bovines have a pretty sweet deal, if I do say so myself!
Summer is the handsome dude in the front. He and Mina like to graze next to each other.
Male calves, like Summer, are born on dairy farms and taken from their moms at birth. His breed, the Jersey, is small and slow-maturing. They are literally treated like trash. At 1-2 days-old, they are shipped to auctionyards where they are sold for as little as $3.00.
No one wanted to buy Summer, because he was so sickly. I rescued him and his "brother" Freedom. No one wanted Freedom because he has a genetic mutation that left him without a tail and his anus shifted a bit too high. He gets daily butt cleanings, which he enjoys tremendously.
Summer has grown into a beautiful adult steer. He is three and will continue to fill out over the next two years. I love him because he lets me hug him. Also, I think he is part-Brahma which my friend and colleague now just grumpily replies with a "yeah, sure, totally" because she thinks I'm silly. But I always wanted a Brahma, so I pretend with Summer (at certain angles, he totes looks like one).
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