Johnny Boy

In 2015, a hobby farmer purchased Johnny Boy at an auction and planned on slaughtering him for meat at just 20 months old. But in the meantime, Johnny would escape his small pen daily. Neighbors would often see the baby calf out on the road—lonely, bored, and looking for someone to connect with.

Neighbor, actor, and animal lover John Scurti would stop to feed this little boy snacks. It wasn’t long before they bonded, and John realized what the calf’s horrible fate would be just a few months later. John decided to take a bold step and talk to the farmer about sparing the life of his new friend. His acting skills came in handy because whatever John said worked! Not only did he convince the farmer to let the calf come to Woodstock Farm Sanctuary, but John also persuaded him to quit the animal-slaughter business entirely!

Johnny relaxing in the barn

Johnny Boy in late summer 2020.

In honor of his rescuer, we named the calf Johnny Boy. He now lives happily at the Sanctuary and quickly made friends. His close pals Maribeth and Fawn have sadly passed away, but he recently moved in with our younger herd of cows and is particularly fond of Juniper and Maximus. The friends are often found snuggled closely in the barn or grazing in the pasture, and they will have many years to enjoy living together as friends, not food.

Johnny Boy enjoying a winter in sanctuary.