KMacGinley":2aktb543 said:
Sarah: You seem like a nice person, but I find your attitude towards this animal alarming and somewhat offensive. Your cutesy "Owned by Jam" humanizes the animal.
Cattle are big powerful beasts. I know a little about them and I will repeat this for the slow learners. There are plenty of them that do not act aggressively. Why have one that does? If she would have carried out her charge on your friend, you might not own your 12 acre spread anymore, your friend and her attorneys would.
Well, I hate to sound crass, but be offended..
Ive been around horses my entire life. Im used to handling 1100 pound animals. Not that Im comparing my horses and this heifer..as cattle function abit differently then horses, but the fact of the matter remains, when evaluating a situation, a person has to determine ALL the factors that may have caused that situation. That was my point in posting this, to find out if this heifer is indeed mean or was "provoked"..not intentionaly, but from what Ive read and been told, it sounds like she was put in a situation that she shouldnt have.
I take responsiblity for it and am the wiser for it. Again, I was under the impression my friend knew what she was doing..Im the wiser for that as well.
Im not for pussyfooting around my animals..while I realize they are animals, I dont tiptoe.
As for humanizing... I enjoy this heifer alot and seeing her progress, and feel all this patient work will pay off...but I dont ever humanize my animals..they feel pain and have emotions, but they are still animals and in the end, work off pure instinct. The key is knowing what those instincts are..so you can use them when working with said animal and also know what to expect in a possibly stressful situation, to remain safe.
I dont claim to know everything and thats why I came on here to learn. My husband is the cattleman and Ive relayed every smidge of information regarding this heifer to him and he has not seemed alarmed one bit..in fact he echoed what many on here have stated...My life insurance isnt enough where he'd put me in harm's way...Im worth more to him working and alive then trampled into the dust.
Bigbull-I agree 100% with what you just said. Having animals entails sacrifices. We dont go on vacation, save seaworld in San Antonio once a year for 3 days..we have horses, dogs, goats, cats and now this heifer...but I wouldnt have it any other way.
I cant fathom what normal folks do when they get home from work...I feed and tend my animals(son included! :lol: )...before I even eat my dinner..and this is all by myself. Sure fills up your day!