Susie Moo stands out to everyone she meets for a number of reasons, but the most obvious one is her unique set of horns. She is clearly a Texas longhorn cross or could even be a pure longhorn, but one horn was broken when she arrived and they have grown out differently.
But that broken horn is what saved her and the many other animals who all came from what we called the Watsonville Slaughterhouse rescue. Susie Moo was at this slaughter facility when Todd Stosuy, animal control officer and Farm Sanctuary intern alum, drove by and noticed her from the road. She was clearly suffering from her bloody break, and after further investigation he discovered that a number of other animals were also in horrific shape and living in terrible conditions. The slaughterhouse proprietor was prosecuted and convicted, and we were able to welcome 13 survivors to Farm Sanctuary. Those animals were removed and able to come to our Orland Sanctuary in Northern California.
Susie Moo was young when she arrived
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likely just around a year old. It is hard to believe that this then-tiny, frightened little cow would grow into the strong, assertive, and very beautiful cow that she is now.
Over the years, Susie Moo has made her mark. She is well known for her stubborn and feisty personality. From her shenanigans involving breaking in with a neighboring herd of cattle to her rise of matriarch of the herd, she is never far from wherever the most action is on the farm.
Susie Moo has been the herd matriarch for almost a year now, having ousted the former leader, Dawn.
While she’s had a few friends over the years, Susie Moo was mostly a loner. When she went on her little adventures (like breaking onto the neighboring property), she did so alone.
So we were all a bit surprised when she found a soulmate in Rosy, one of three cattle who recently moved up from our Southern California Shelter. She was clearly smitten with Rosy, and graciously let her call some of the shots, as if anointing her co-matriarch. We were all amazed and thrilled to see the relationship between the two of these ladies bloom.
When Susie Moo was on pain medication for a short time for some soreness, she received her pain medication in a small bowl of grain. When she no longer needed the pain medication we discontinued the meds but because of her persistence we continued to give her a very small amount of grain in a
bowl to appease her (we call it her placebo bowl). When Rosy came along Susie didn’t hesitate for a second and let Rosy share in her special treat, and she doesn’t mind when her bovine bestie sidles up beside her during regular mealtimes.
When someone like Susie Moo starts out life so rough it is always thrilling to see that despite all she has been through she has found peace and happiness in her herd and has thrived at Farm Sanctuary. We can’t wait to see the rest of Susie’s life on the farm and are so happy she finally found someone to spend her life with.
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