This was the case with Bella. I purchased her as a calf at the local sale yards – a skinny leggy Guernsey heifer – desperate for a cuddle and missing her Mum. She grew up with all the other calves purchased at that sale but straight away was the boss of them all. No matter whether it was attention, food or curiosity – she would tower over them all and barge past or through them to always be there first.
She had a bellow on her like a fog horn but was a sook when it came to cuddles and scratches. She would almost turn herself inside out if you scratched her in the right place.
She grew up to be the best cow I ever had. She still towered over the other cattle when she was fully grown and treated them all like they were her own herd – with her in charge of course. At the time – we didn’t have any fences on the property so to encourage the herd to stay close by we hand fed them every afternoon. All we had to do was call out to Bella – she would answer back – and within half an hour all the cattle would arrive home.
It also worked if I yelled at the kids or gave them a holler to see what they were up to. Bella would answer and be back at the shed in half an hour. Nothing was funnier than watching her running down the hill with her udder swinging from side to side.
My youngest daughter Tania would dress Bella up in a hat and plastic pearls, plaster on the makeup and send her off on her way. Bella was quite happy standing still to have her makeup done as long as she got a scratch at the same time. She was a real character.
She had a bellow on her like a fog horn but was a sook when it came to cuddles and scratches. She would almost turn herself inside out if you scratched her in the right place.
Her real worth came though when each time I brought home more baby calves from the sale yard. She let four at a time suckle on her no matter what colour they were. She was a born mother.I will always have fond memories of her.
A warm hug from Nanna
