A horse named Buddy and a cow named Trish, both from Ireland, are giving all farm animals hope.
As expendable commodities of the agriculture industry, Buddy
and Trish were destined to lives that would be cut short by slaughter.
But they aren’t commodities.
The pair developed a unique friendship that should inspire all of us.
“I Really Don’t Want to Put Them Down”
Buddy and Trish’s friendship first inspired farmer Bill Madden. There
was so much humanity contained in their friendship that Madden couldn’t
stomach the idea of breaking that special bond.
After hearing about the campaign to save Benjy the gay bull
that went viral, Madden decided to reach out to the same sanctuary,
Hillside Animal Sanctuary. In his own words, Madden describes what moved
him to contact the sanctuary:
I asked Hillside if they could help
with two animals that have formed an unusual friendship. I asked if they
would consider giving a home to these lovely animals, as I really don’t
want to put them down.
Trish also happened to have a special place in Madden’s
heart. While most farmers have to keep a barrier between themselves and
the animals they will have to send to slaughter, Madden had to bottle
feed Trish from birth, since her mother was too injured. The Irish
farmer saw Trish grow up for five years.
Buddy, also five-years-old, was
expendable because he had “bad legs.” Madden describes that Buddy could never be used in horse racing “due to
having dropped pasterns (he was never lame, I just didn’t want to risk
hurting him).”
Despite their rough lives, Trish and Buddy fostered a bond
that made them inseparable. But then the economic reality of farm life
sunk in. Madden saw himself in the position of cutting down his farm,
and slaughtering Trish and Buddy seemed inevitable.
Fortunately, Hillside Animal Sanctuary agreed that Trish and
Buddy’s strong bond couldn’t be broken. The sanctuary asked Madden to
raise the funds to transport the pair from Ireland to England. Animal
lovers from around the world were moved to donate so the best friends
could live out the rest of their days in peace
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