In June of 2022, a little male calf was born on a small dairy farm. There is the misleading idea that small dairy farms are more sustainable and have more compassionate care for their animals, but this couldn’t be further from the truth. No matter the size of the farm, male calves are usually considered useless, and are killed outright or are sold to be killed soon after, and this is the fate that little Heathcliff was sadly destined for.

Our friends at Happy Compromise Sanctuary handled the initial rescue—they knew about this little calf and quickly made the trip to rescue him. When they arrived, Heathcliff was visibly malnourished and was tied by a chain to a small hutch outside. They finally freed him from the farm and made the trip to the animal hospital to make sure he got immediate treatment for any illnesses or parasites he might have had.

After spending a short period of time at the hospital, Heathcliff was then cleared and in great condition. We were so happy to hear this and soon picked him up to bring him home.

Now at Woodstock, little Heathcliff has grown into quite a big personality! He’s very playful and loves befriending all humans. His favorite activities are playing with his large outdoor beach ball in the pasture (which actually used to be Fawn’s, an incredible special needs cow who touched the hearts of thousands of people but passed away due to complications with her injuries in 2020) finding quality sticks on his daily adventures around his area, and of course zoomies. Lots of zoomies.

*Heathcliff playing with his favorite ball in his pasture with Executive Director, Rachel McCrystal.*

We’re so happy that this sweetheart is now safe in sanctuary and able to run freely around, never fearing being tied to a hutch ever again. Welcome home, Heathcliff.