Director Liz Marshall meeting Sonny
First day home
Nose picking practice with the cutest tongue on the planet
Running Running Running
His beautiful eye.
Close up of the nose. That adorable, rubber like nose.
Summer solstice with my boy!
one year old and loving his pasture!
Sonny and his buddy from Florida, Samantha Robinson
Happy Birthday, Sonny
— This is Your Life!
I feel like my life with Sonny was a strange twist of fate
— kismet. It all actually started with a failed attempt to do something else, which then led to bringing this amazing bovine into my life
—
and, of course, into the lives of so many other people. I consider Sonny to be one of my dearest friends and one of the greatest loves of my life, and cannot imagine a world without him.
His story began with a conversation with the amazing photojournalist Jo-Anne McArthur and film director Liz Marshall about being a part of the incredible documentary film “The Ghosts in our Machine.” They wanted a rescue from the farm to be part of the film, so we scheduled a date to go to the stockyard, where, nine out of ten times I go, there is a downed calf.
The stunning cover with the picture of our beautiful birthday boy.
And this is where fate kicks in for the first time. We missed the first calf sale — so we had to scramble and find another one.
Downed calves at auction house — some will get up and so will perish.
So we arrive at the second stockyard and the calf sale was — you guessed it — over. I walked through the pens in the back to go out and tell the camera crew that we had somehow missed it — and on the way, I saw him: this tiny curled-up calf, alone in a pen, unable to stand. I asked the auctioneer and was told that if the calf got up, they would be selling him, and that if he was still down at the end of the day, he was mine.
The famous photo and cover photo from “The Ghosts in our Machine.”
After a very long day, which included the rescue of a downed cow who collapsed in the auction ring, Sonny still refused to get up, and I was allowed to carry him into our trailer.
Little guy in a big trailer. Sonny is out of the auction and on the way to the Cornell University Hospital for Animals.
And then we were off to Cornell, where it was discovered that this tiny boy was septic. His umbilicus had been torn off, he had not gotten proper colostrum, he was dehydrated, and his tiny body was shutting down.
At Cornell, vets rushed our sweet boy to the ISO ward for emergency care.
Sonny needed a transfusion, and everyone hoped that this would work to get our new buddy on his feet.
A rough start, but Sonny was in the best hands. Dr. Toby Pinn of Cornell working on this tiny little survivor.
At Cornell, comforting this boy when he finally started to show real signs of life.
Mario Ramirez brings our boy into our old onsite hospital for his first day on the sanctuary grounds.
And that twist of fate changed my life — and, of course, Sonny’s life — forever. If our paths hadn’t crossed, he would have been, just like the title of the movie, another ghost in our machine.
So today we actually celebrate Sonny’s official fifth birthday, and his rebirth-day out of the machine and into sanctuary — and into our hearts.
Here is that beautiful life in pictures and blurbs — just to give you a glimpse into this amazing boy.
Tiny baby on his soft straw with his little blanket. All calves are cute, but this one had a spark — a devilish charm that continues to this day.
After living in our hospital, Sonny makes the move to the great outdoors — still a little sprout of a calf weighing less than 100 pounds. And this is where that little spark became much more obvious.
From dying calf to mini bucking bronco — once he got started, nothing could stop him!
The dangerous back kick — right from the start, this boy kept everyone on their toes.
Goofball wanting to involve everyone in his little bull games. Sonny needed some pals his own age.
For a month, Sonny lived with the sheep (as you will see in the video below), but what he wanted more than anything was a bovine pal or two of his own.
Sonny meets Conrad and four other calves who were rescued a few months after he arrived at sanctuary. These boys all grew up together and are best pals to this day.
Sonny, Arnold, and Tweed hitting the pastures together.
Sonny, Conrad, and Arnold. Two months old and the world is their playground.
One of his closest buddies — besides Conrad — is this guy: Orlando.
Roughhousing with Arnold.
His first winter coat, just six months after his rescue.
Still a superstar: filming of our boy during his first winter.
Tweenagers — Sonny growing up. Here, meeting Thunder and joining the special-needs herd.
Kissing the ring — Sonny figures out where he stands.
Our beautiful teenage boy!! Sonny is growing up!
Back for more photo-ops and another clip for the documentary — our boy turns one (a tween).
Now we are one — a year in and already a giant, with quite the fabulous hairstyle. His signature curls are coming out! (Here, getting the photo for my bio with Sonny — photobombing by Tweed.)
Winter number two — helping manager Jill Tedeschi get her job done (or possibly making it more difficult).
As with most calves, the end of year one and the entire second year of life can definitely be characterized just as it is with toddlers: “the terrible twos.” They are more like teenagers than toddlers, and Sonny definitely made life difficult for many. Blocking and attempting to play with tractors, not allowing people to come into the barn or go through gates, bouncing around people like a very large 1,000-pound puppy, and then there was the car…
Like so many teenagers, the boys wrecked my car. And not just once! But this time at least was photographed.
So a few dents in the work trucks, in my car, in a rental car, etc., and the loss of a few mirrors and a window later, and Sonny is almost a young man. Thank goodness! For an entire winter, I received regular calls on the radio to get him to move out of the way of tractors attempting to deliver hay to the main herd — but deep down, I loved every single thing he did.
Sonny at age three — look how calm he is becoming. (Well, not really.)
Sonny continued to stop tractors to rub his head on them, and to this day continues to chase cars or UTVs that have to come up on the hill or into his pasture, but more importantly, he continues to show us what a special guy he actually is.
Winter number three — curly as ever.
Greeting new friends. Sonny loves the other cattle and is one of the sweetest to the newcomers. He especially loves the new calves and spends as much time as possible with them when they enter the herd.
Sonny sulks — he definitely does. Here he is after leaving the herd with me following a lost battle with the head of the herd, Travolta. He continues to vie for this position, but he never wins. Once he loses, he pouts, and loves nothing more than having someone to love on him when he is sad.
Sonny is amazing with guests and really good at getting people to recognize just how special cattle are.
Spending the winter solstice with Sonny and his herdmates.
This picture was from a day when I was crying and came up to the cattle hill, where I go when I am sad. I laid my head on Sonny and wept, and then when things felt better, I went back down the hill — only to find that he left his herd to follow me. The empathy that cattle, pigs, and all animals show is there, but you have to let them in to see it.
I only have eyes for you. This is how you know when you feel the same way about each other. Sonny and I have had this since he was a baby, and I cannot tell you how special he is to me. No matter how big the crowd or who is paying attention to him — he finds me and I find him. My best bovine buddy!
And Sonny never forgets. I can be gone for two days or two months and the reaction is the same — and the feeling very mutual. When you have a bond with a bovine, it is no different than a bond with your dog or even your significant other in some cases — you are just happy to see each other .
Hanging with my boy and my very best bovine pal forever and ever!
And Sonny never forgets his other human friends — and he has many many many, but none as close to him as Jo-Anne, who visits him often and has been a part of his life since the day he was born.
The famous bovine neck hug — a clear sign of pure cattle affection.
Big smiles from good friends. A sweet reunion, and my how Sonny has grown since that first day.
So thank you kismet, thank you fate, and thank you Liz and Jo for making a documentary that brought this amazing being into our lives. And happy birthday Sonny — thank you for making every day since I met you brighter than the last!
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