A lot of people don't see any more than furry animals that give us milk and meat when they think of cows. That all they do is eat grass and "moo" all day. Most just see them as farm animals. But a certain cow has started to change people's views.
A cow was just born right after a disaster struck. By all odds, the cow shouldn't have survived. The countryside was a mess and they were vulnerable. But she persevered and found an ingenious way to survive.
A Fulshear, Texas Couple Was Caught In Hurricane Harvey
Hurricane Harvey really did a number on many residents living in places such as Louisiana, Belize, Nicaragua, and Texas. Pastures were flooded as just were streets and one particular couple living in Texas was affected greatly.
The Texas couple had to figure out how to get past the nightmare that was before them. But they found themselves in a very particular situation during the hurricane.
The Cantons Still Opened Their House Up As A Shelter
The Canton family was kind enough to provide sanctuary for two other families and eight dogs! That's a lot of people and animals to have in one house during a hurricane.
Then Tammy's Husband, Mr. Canton, spotted something that would make space even tighter. In a hurricane, many things can be swept up so you don't know what to expect.
Their Shelter Grew By One Unexpectedly
If you had three families in one house, a hurricane raging outside, what wouldn't you be prepared to see? Well, one of the family's cows had had a calf just days before the storm started.
Something was wrong, Tammy explained, "My husband noticed she [the calf] was standing in water not nursing from her mom." If the calf's mother wasn't with it, there was a problem.
A Weak Calf
The weather made it extremely cold outside and the pasture was flooding with water. The calf they spotted looked like a stray dog caught in the rain times a hundred.
The Canton's noticed that the calf looked weak and was shivering from the conditions outside. They were caught off guard by the sight but they knew that they had to do something, and quickly.
Acting Fast...
A calf can't survive in the conditions it was in for long. The weather was only getting worse and the calf was all only without a mother to rescue it. What would the family do?
Tammy and her husband knew the risks but they didn't care compared to the state of the young calf. Even with the house packed with people and dogs, they needed to save the poor calf.
Help Is On The Way
The Cantons told the other families to stay put and got ready to brave the hurricane. They took a breath together and flung open the door and slammed it shut after them. Now that they were also at risk, they had to act quickly.
Tammy got to the calf ahead of her husband and checked to see if it was okay. The calf was very weak and could barely walk. It was shivering and it looked as if they were too late. What would happen next for the calf?
Her Name Is Harveigh
The Cantons decided to name the calf Harveigh. Because she was only a calf, her immune system wasn't equipped to deal with the storm, and with no help from her mother, it would be an uphill battle.
A vet told the family to keep Harveigh inside while the weather was bad and while her health improved. They made the laundry room her room temporarily while she stayed with them.
Road To Recovery
After a few weeks of keeping Harveigh in their house, she started looking much better. She slept on a dog bed and was fed formula while she was there.
As times passed, Harveigh kept improving in strength so the Cantons thought she would be able to return to the pasture. But they came to an unexpected discovery when they noticed that Harveigh had made some friends while with them.
Doggo Love
Tammy and her husband owned a Pit Bull named Sealy. You'd think that Sealy might be aggressive towards Harveigh but against popular belief they started licking the calf instead. Harveigh loved affection and started improving significantly.
In fact, all of their dogs welcomed Harveigh in and loved her. This was only the start of a special bond that the family didn't expect. What happened next between the family and their dogs and Harveigh was surprising to say the least.
A New Friendship
Just like that, the start of beautiful relationships blossomed right before everyone's eyes. It was almost like something out of a children's storybook, but we aren't complaining! Harveigh started to heal from her past ordeal and quickly began to love her new environment.
Harveigh started adopting the behavior of her newfound friends! She swiftly became one of the dogs as she played with them every day and night. Who would have seen this coming??
Animal Kingdom Friendship
The good news is that the feelings were mutual! This is seriously a Disney novel in the making due to the dynamics. Can you even imagine a pit bull bonding effortlessly with a calf?
"Sealy loves to spend her time playing, cleaning, and protecting baby Harveigh. These two have such a special bond," Tammy wrote on her Facebook. The only word to describe this relationship is special. We know Tammy was enjoying every second of this...
Special Accommodations
Everyone knows a regular home isn't equipped to house a cow. The little calf that got along with the pit bull eventually grew to over 400 pounds. She was soon a handful and Tammy needed to figure something out.
Harveigh grew so big that she couldn't even fit in the laundry room anymore! As a result, she needed a place to crash. What do you think Tammy and her husband decided to do next with Harveigh?
Cow Issues
If an animal starts to live inside for too long then only one thing can happen. Said animal will get used to the luxuries and not like going back outside. That's what happened with Harveigh.
After a while, she wouldn't even graze the pasture with any of the other six cows. Whenever Tammy and her husband would bring her out to the barn, she eventually showed back up at the door, mooing to come back in. What could they possibly do next for her?...
Welcome To The Cow Condo
Tammy and her husband did whatever any loving caregiver would do. They came up with a way to accommodate Harveigh without compromising her happiness too much. The result was something they constructed called the "cow condo."
They used the shed in the backyard to make a personal house for her! She had a personal space heater in there for crying out loud! She was living the life in this half-way home between barn life and the house.
Not Liking The New Place
Even with Tammy dedicating Harveigh with her a space to call her own, that wasn't enough for her. In only the first night in the condo, she left it and chose to sleep outside by the main house's door.
Why didn't she want to stay inside the condo? Harveigh ended up staying in her personal home as little as possible and elected to play with the dogs and everyone in the family. That secluded life just wasn't for her...
Things Eventually Change...
As more time passed, Harveigh started to grow even larger, as cows do. Her new size became something of a burden as she became a danger to the friends around her.
Harveigh used to be able to hang around the other animals and people without anyone watching, but she soon would need a chaperone. Her size alone could've hurt the dogs if they were roughhousing too much. No one wants to see a hurt doggo!
Making A Cow
As you've followed the story, you've learned that Harveigh didn't have the traditional upbringing a cow has. Due to this, Tammy had to take measures into her own hands and try to convert Harveigh back into a regular cow.
She had different steps in her process but one thing she always did was take her out to the barn for quick visits. Those visits resulted in mixed results so Tammy's efforts were almost a waste...
The Transition
"We are slowly introducing her," Tammy said. “It's so hard not to go and just get her out. If she wants to learn how to 'cow,’ she will need to spend time with them.”
This sounds like a classic case of trying to turn a house dog into an outside dog. For one, it isn't easy for both human and dog. Secondly, it takes longer for the animal to grasp the concept, but with Harveigh seeing the other cows outside, that probably helped a little more. Do you think her days indoor were over?...
The Sneaky Cow
Maybe you've had a pet or known one that figured out the secret. The secret we're referring to is opening up the door with no help! Harveigh learned how to get in through the back door on her own.
Whenever she grew weary of cow stuff she would just make herself at home, but there were still rules involved. "I don't let her free roam in the house," Tammy said. “Just quick visits to come in and say hi to our dogs.”
Happy Harveigh
Yes, Harveigh had to shed most of her dog habits in order to adapt to the cow life, but Tammy couldn't help herself from bringing her in for some pampering every now and then. She even gave her a dog treat on occasion.
"It fills my heart with joy being able to spend so much sweet time with her," Tammy explained. “She will literally lay her head on my lap and be at peace.” What an epic story. Read on for more heartwarming stories about miraculous rescues during Hurricane Harvey!
Miraculous Rescues During Hurricane Harvey
During the devastation of Hurricane Harvey in 2017, many people showed their true caring nature and banded together to help in any way they could. Here are some of their stories.
Storm chaser Aaron Jayjack was traveling to Austin from Victoria, Texas when he found a dog wandering around near a gas station. Jayjack stopped for gas and didn't think anything of it until the dog started following him down the road. When Jayjack jumped into his jeep, so did the pup. Jayjack decided to take the dog with him and tweeted, "Found gas but picked up dog that jumped into jeep. Runge TX…please help find owner." This was accompanied with a video of the dog. But where were his new friend's owners?
The Power Of Social Media Reunites The Dog With His Owner
Jayjack tried and failed to have the dog scanned for a chip. He pleaded with social media, again and again, asking for help finding the owner. Jayjack couldn't keep the dog, which he had named Harvey in the meantime, and feared his owners would never be found.
After Jayjack's post went viral, he found a lead. He headed back to Runge, TX to take the lost dog back to his owners. The pup, whose real name was Cash, was so excited to see his owner he tried to climb out of the window in Jayjack's jeep. And thus is the power of Twitter.
They Saved a Tortoise, too!
After Jayjack found Cash's owner, he started combing the Texas flood waters for stranded pets. Hurricane Harvey had a huge impact on pets, who were displaced when their owners left and their homes were destroyed; however, this tortoise appears to be in pretty good spirits.
Jayjack lifted the little guy onto his boat and brought him to higher ground. During Jackjack's rescue efforts, he managed to help save a pony, a longhorn cow, a goat, some dogs and cats, and this little tortoise (who certainly looks confused, but who wouldn't be?).
Family Refuses To Leave Without Pet Pig
Flood waters rose faster than Lisa Eicher and her family could predict. They relocated their pig Penny to the garage because her pen was flooding. When they awoke, they found flood waters had risen even more. The whole family needed to get out fast, but there was one problem – Penny was trapped.
Eicher couldn't open the garage doors without power, which was completely cut off. Penny was stuck in the garage until one of them went outside to manually unlock the door. Once Penny was safe, they still weren't in the clear. This was just the beginning of a valiant rescue effort.
Firefighters Swam Penny To Safety Through Deep, Raging Flood Water
When firefighters finally arrived at the Eicher's, they yelled, "We have to get out now!" Lisa refused without the pig, which they had raised since she was an 8-week-old piglet.
"We've got two kids with Down syndrome, a three-legged dog, and a pig — all of whom will be freaked out," she told the firefighters. Eicher woke up her kids, and the firefighters ferried them to a raft. Penny needed a different arrangement. They swam Penny out to a truck, and when she safely arrived the family dog was there to greet her.
More Kind People Helped Penny's Family
Firefighters saved the Eicher family and their pets, then dropped them off at a gas station to wait out the storm, but the kindness didn't stop there.
"The kids and I sat in the only spot safe from rain in front of the gas station and waited," Eicher wrote. "The attendant came out and brought us all sandwiches. A sweet man insisted I take twenty dollars to buy something for the kids. And a homeless couple brought us blankets. Wanting nothing in return. Countless people stopped to check on us and offer help."
Animal Rescuer Refused To Leave Her 20 Dogs
Betty Walter, a 44-year-old animal rescuer, refused to leave her dogs when evacuations started. Her brood consisted of pets from friends and family, four of her own dogs and fosters. Though a rescue boat did come to rescue Walter earlier on, it only had enough room for humans, so she politely declined the help.
Instead, she and her 20 dogs climbed to the attic of her one-bedroom home where they were stranded for 14 hours as flood waters rose. "I was not going to leave the dogs," Walter told Today. "These little pets were depending on me to take care of them." But things got worse...
Flood Water Was Rising And Walter And Her Dogs Were Still Stranded
Walter feared she'd be forgotten as the flood water got worse. She was worried her phone would die and she'd run out of food and clean drinking water. Walter put a message on social media asking to be rescued. "I was pleading not to be forgotten," she said. At 3 p.m. on Sunday, rescuer Buck Beasley went out on his flat-bottom boat to rescue a woman in Walter's neighborhood who had sensitive medical equipment.
When he arrived, she had already been saved, so he started searching for those in need. He met up with Jeremy Williams and Anthony Hernandez, two other good Samaritans looking to help. Walter had yet to be found.
Buck Beasley Became A Dog-Saving Hero
With an open boat, Beasley found a man stranded with his Doberman Pincher. He welcomed the man and his dog aboard. Around the corner, he found Walter who spoke to him through the window. She was afraid he'd be willing to save her, but not her furry friends. "I said it's OK, we'll load up [the dogs], too," he told Today.
He placed the dogs in his boat while the humans walked alongside. In some places, the water was so deep his feet barely touched the ground. When they reached dry land, they loaded the dogs into Beasley's truck and traveled 20 miles to his home. Beasley turned out to be a volunteer at the Bay Area Pet Adoptions. He and his wife had been rescuing and housing at-risk goats, dogs, and other animals since the flood started.