When we got Annabelle back in the fall, I knew she would not stay in our backyard forever. She’s a cow, after all, and cows get big. Too big for backyards. It’s crazy to think that she was just 35 pounds when she came to live in our backyard.

Earlier this summer the day came for Annabelle to move out. For one, she had grown to over 700 pounds. But the second, and probably more pressing reason, she had started to come into heat. This means that for an entire day every three weeks or so, she would be bawling at the top of her lungs all. day. long. The straw that broke the camel’s back was when she came into heat right at the end of June and proceeded to bawl all night.

July third was moving day. We loaded her onto a trailer and took her down the road to a farm that raises beef and dairy cattle, where Barry works part time. It wasn’t hard for me to see her go, because she should be with her own kind. But boy did we have a time actually getting her into the trailer! She is not halter broken, which means she resists being lead by one, even when you’re trying to take her to greener pastures.

But we finally did get her on the trailer, in the pouring rain no less (I was having Ragnar flashbacks…). Then it was off to her new home!

Once we got over there, unloading her wasn’t as difficult because it didn’t require a halter. Barry simply backed the trailer up to the gate into the field and we ran her out of the trailer.

It was kind of funny, and sad, when she stood at the gate and watched us drive away. But I knew she was going to be much happier there, with her own kind, once she got settled.

She is in with a group of Angus heifers. That means they’re females her own age, and that they’re a beef breed (she’s a dairy breed). I like that she’s not hard to pick out in the field! Barry said when he drives by her on his way to/from work she looks up, because she recognizes the truck. She’s made friends, though, and is settled and happy. Just like I knew she would be.

The dogs, while a bit confused, have handled Annabelle’s move just fine. They still check out her pen each time they go outside, especially Scout.

Scout and Annabelle were close buddies from the start, and bonded right away. It was really cute the way they would lick each other’s noses and the way Annabelle would follow Scout around the yard. At some point we will have to take the dogs over to the farm to visit.

For the future, we have plans to move Annabelle to our own land if/when we find the right property. We have talked about either raising a few bull calves, as steers, to put with her, or maybe putting goats with her. I guess time will tell!