SPCA Cow Rescue

The South Florida SPCA, a horse rescue located in Miami, Florida, has been successfully rescuing, rehabilitating, and adopting out abandoned, abused, and neglected horses for more than 23 years.

During these horse rescues, other farm animals are sometimes found in danger, and the SF SPCA takes them into care as well. They leave no livestock behind and have taken in goats, sheep, pigs, emus, and cows. All have been successfully adopted into loving homes or breed-specific sanctuaries, except for the cows. Cows are different; they cost as much as horses to keep, require a lot of space, and cannot be ridden, which means very few people want to adopt cows as pets. For the most part, they are seen as food or as a means to produce future food. Over the years, the SF SPCA gradually acquired eight cows and provided them with safe haven, care, and love—some for years. Auctioning them off or getting rid of them quickly was never an option, as their safety and well-being remained paramount. Essentially, the SF SPCA became a permanent home for Big Bird, Murray, Star, Freckles, Panda, Jordan, Lucky, and Corey.

With the passing of time and the increasing number of horses in need of rescue in Miami, the SF SPCA now cares for 50-70 horses at any one time on their 6.9-acre ranch facility. The eight cows lived on a three-acre pasture that they shared with rotating shifts of horses. Over time, the organization came to an unpleasant conclusion: their horse rescue ranch was no longer an optimal environment for the cows. What the cows needed was a life with much more space, shared with other cows. Thus, the search began to find them a permanent, more suitable placement that could safely and lovingly meet their needs for the rest of their lives.

The SF SPCA contacted a number of farm animal sanctuaries, only to hear what they had expected—that these sanctuaries did not have room, resources, or only took in animals in immediate threat of slaughter or harm. Some suggested they call back in a few months, saying “maybe” they could take in one or two of the cows. The chances of getting the cows into a sanctuary were slim, and even then, it would likely require splitting them up and sending them to different sanctuaries across the country. It wasn’t ideal, but the SF SPCA knew it might be necessary. The search continued until they made a phone call to Farm Sanctuary.

Farm Sanctuary, a nationally known and long-standing sanctuary, was contacted about placement for the cows or suggestions about other placement opportunities. While Farm Sanctuary couldn’t take in the cows, they recommended contacting more recently established sanctuaries that might have space to take in at least a couple of them. One of the sanctuaries they recommended was Rowdy Girl Sanctuary, a 97-acre sanctuary in Angleton, Texas that had once been a cattle ranch. After some Internet research and a visit to the Rowdy Girl website, an email was sent to Renee King-Sonnen, the founder of Rowdy Girl, introducing the SF SPCA and explaining the need to place the eight beloved cows in sanctuary. Where that email would lead was beyond what they could have imagined.

Thirty minutes after sending the email, the SF SPCA received an enthusiastic call from Renee, stating, “I want to help you and your cows.” She had done some research as well and was amazed that a successful horse rescue had taken in cows and provided them with a loving home, despite limited space and resources. She knew of no other horse rescue with such a commitment to farm animals, which is why she wanted to help the SF SPCA and their cows. This sparked a conversation about Renee and her husband Tommy’s incredible journey from cattle ranchers to founders of a vegan sanctuary, their love for cows, and their desire to help people, cows, and other farm animals in need. What stood out most was Renee’s enthusiasm for her sanctuary, the animals, and the cause. By the end of the conversation, Renee declared, “Rowdy Girl Sanctuary will take all of your cows so they can remain the bonded family they are”—no strings attached. The SF SPCA was amazed and grateful for Renee’s generosity and compassion. After some discussion, they decided that early November would be a good time for Rowdy Girl to receive the cows, giving the sanctuary time to prepare for their arrival.

On November 1st, the cows—Big Bird, Murray, Freckles, Star, Panda, Jordan, Lucky, and Corey—left the SF SPCA for the long journey to Angleton, Texas. Seeing these magnificent animals loaded onto a trailer for an unknown destination was a poignant and saddening reminder of the final journey for most of these vulnerable and gentle giants—a journey often riddled with fear, inhumane treatment, and ending in slaughter.

These cows, however, were lucky. Just how lucky they were became clear on the day of their arrival at Rowdy Girl when Renee began uploading pictures and videos of their arrival and exploration of their new home. From placing them in a one-acre pasture overnight to allow them to safely acclimate while being closely monitored, to their transfer to a lush, 15-acre pasture filled with beautiful woodlands, Renee’s commentary and loving, enthusiastic interaction with the cows was more than the SF SPCA could have ever hoped for.

The videos and pictures continue to come, and there are no words to describe just how moving and rewarding it is to see what used to be the SF SPCA’s eight cows, now exploring and frolicking with Renee in their new home—a home that can only be described as heaven for cows. These updates from Renee allow the SF SPCA to feel that Big Bird, Murray, Freckles, Star, Panda, Jordan, Lucky, and Corey are not so far away, and not completely gone from them. It feels like they’re just around the corner. Sometimes, miracles do happen, and the South Florida SPCA and Rowdy Girl Sanctuary have had the honor and privilege of making one happen, and of telling the tale of what it means to save lives and provide a safe, loving home for eight extraordinary cows.