The two cows across the lane look at me as I set off for the morning crossants. I'd like to think they don't feel the cold. Their faces tell me otherwise. The ' bad farmer ' lost seven of them in last years blizzards. Let's hope these two don't join them.
One of the old tree peonies is now shrouded in a tent of white gauze. This will hopefully protect the young buds from the worst of the snow. The others will have to survive as best they can. A day for lighting the fire early.
Good Lord, can't the man do something to save his animals? And, if he can't, can anyone else? This is tragic.
ReplyDeleteMaybe you could shroud the cows????
ReplyDeleteXXXOOO Daisy, Bella & Roxy
Poor things, so sad.
ReplyDeleteStay warm.
x
I'm very upset about the cruel treatment of the cows. There is no shelter for them? Minus nine degrees is bitterly cold, especially for an animal that has no hair for protection from the cold. This is so sad.
ReplyDeleteI recall that it's a balancing act in dealing with the bad farmer and the cows, but I continue to hope that good judgment and compassion win out.
ReplyDeleteI hope the storm quickly and safely passes.
Can't the village do what is morally right concerning these cows! Better slaughtered than months of agony and a slow painful death. Why will no one step forward? It saddens me deeply to know that doing what is easy has become the Holy Grail rather than doing what is right.
ReplyDeleteThank you and the font for caring. We know you probably saved their lives over the hot summer.
The cows are killing me. I'm dealing with a similar situation right now; every weekday morning when I turn onto a back street that leads to the parking lot of my office building, I pass a very dilapidated housing area where the yards are full of trash, and several stray dogs hang out. But there are also two dogs (pit bulls, I think) that are chained to the back of a fence that belongs to a house behind this property. The way the dogs are chained to nearly the top of the fence only allows them to move around only a very little bit, and for shelter, all they have is a couple a pieces of plywood propped together - barely large enough for both to get under. They are there in the morning, at noon and when I leave at night - I don't know if they are ever NOT chained. It's really breaking my heart - I stop my car briefly every time I pass and we just look at each other from a distance. They are out in freezing weather and rain. I called Animal Services to go check on them some weeks ago but nothing has changed and I'm not sure they did. I am afraid if the owners are hassled too much, they will just get rid of the dogs, and perhaps worse things will happen to them (dog fighting). I've thought of buying a couple of dog igloos and just dropping them off, but this is a very bad place, and it's scary to even think of entering the property :( Fortunately, cold weather here (South Carolina) is rare and short-lived...
ReplyDeletehave to tried calling a breed rescue group? They know how to deal with situations like that, and can likely move faster than one person could.
DeleteNever fear, I'm looking into it :)
DeletePerhaps you could "borrow" the cows and take them to shelter until the storm passes and they can once again be let back to pasture. The "farmer" won't likely even know they are missing. Karma, he'll get his.
ReplyDeleteKeep warm, stay toasty and keep yer lum reeking!
I had to come back to see what other's were saying. I'm a Texan, just so you understand. There is NO way people of any kind of conscience would allow this to happen in this day & time. Those helpless animals, pinned in, cannot do anything for themselves. They are in plain sight of you and others. HOW can this happen. Angus, I am mad as hell. My daughter & I went on a mission to have an entire county ban chaining of dogs, we went to the town hall meetings, presented evidence, cited the appropriate laws which are existing, and she went back until something was done about it. We knocked on the doors of the owners of these pitiful dogs, begged them to let us take them and find good homes for them. They all said NO. But, undaunted, we took action which resulted in all of them being set free within a fenced enclosure for them which their owners had to provide. Around here cows are valuable assets; no one would let this happen. We have ranches bordering freeways and if any of us saw something like this we would find a place to stop the car and make a whole lot of noise. But then...if you remember, us Texans have had to fight a lot of battles to be free of the tyranny of Mexico long long ago, but we all still "Remember the Alamo" and live with that spirit every single day.
ReplyDeleteWhoa, there, pardner - I'm a Texan, too, just moved to SC a few years ago. Love Texas, but it's simply not true that "no one would let this happen" there. Have you never seen Animal Cops - Houston? It happens to horses, cows, pigs, chickens, dogs, you name it, EVERY DAY there, just like everywhere else, and in too many of the cases the call from a concerned citizen came way too late to save the poor emaciated, abused animals. It took those animals a long time to get to that condition, and many of them were in places where numerous people HAD to be aware of what was going on. I think most of us do what we can with the means we have; I, for instance, am a single woman with a full-time job, three dogs (two rescues, two quite elderly), and usually a foster dog, too. We pay our tax dollars so that we DO have organizations to deal with these situations; problem is, sadly there are just too many cases for them to deal with. Only Angus and the Font actually know the farmer and the nuances of this situation, and we know what good, caring people they are. No one is turning a blind eye here, so let's not make anyone feel guilty for not being caped crusaders, lol! I doubt Angus shares everything they've done to try and help the situation. Also, it's even trickier when you're dealing with an actual neighbor, who could possibly be vindictive in some way; for example, if Angus and the Font feed or water his animals, does he then feel he has the right to do what he wants to their animals? I'm guessing if the old farmer gets too much grief he will just slaughter the cows - and while some might argue that it would be a mercy, how much guilt would be felt then? In the case of the dogs I discussed above, I know I'd feel even worse if my agitating too much caused them to be killed or sold to be put into the fighting ring. Fortunately, they at least appear to be fed and healthy, so I feel I have time to work through the system. Sad, upsetting, complicated situations...
ReplyDeleteOf course, you are probably right.
DeleteI hope the clouds bring less snow than expected and it doesn't do too much harm. I'm sorry for the cows. Is there anything you can toss over the fence for them?
ReplyDelete