In our experience
Meet three women whose loved ones left them unusual parting gifts
‘WE WEREN’ T EQUIPPED TO LOOK AFTER A FULLY GROWN COW’
Anne Pitts, 60, from Bedfordshire, and her daughter Annabel, 24, inherited an unusual pet from Anne’s father.
Annabel and I first saw Maisy just after she was born, in 2009. She was a sorry sight: a tiny, motherless calf, wet and shivering. Dad was a farmer with a small beef herd, and one of the new heifers he’d bought had unexpectedly turned out to be pregnant. Sadly, the birth proved fatal for the young mother cow.
Dad didn’t have the facilities for a newborn calf and, not believing she’d survive, he put her on a bed of straw in the garage. Annabel and I lived close by, and we immediately rushed over to see her. She looked so small and pitiful, and we made it our mission to save her.
We hand-fed her, dried her with a hairdryer and installed infrared lights to keep her warm. We were with her constantly, petting and grooming her – and it wasn’t long before we were completely smitten. When she was a month old, we brought her to live in our large back garden. She was a real character. She loved chasing around with Breeze, our black Labrador, and she adored our company – she would often just wander into the house.
But before long, Maisy had grown into a massive, strong cow with enormous horns. One afternoon, when she was around eight months old, she suddenly decided to run into the house. I jumped on a sofa to get out of her way. Trouble was, she jumped on the sofa with me – and broke my toe.
It was at this point that we had to acknowledge we weren’t very well equipped to look after a fully grown cow, and Dad insisted on having her back at the farm, promising us that she would never be anything other than a pet.
So for the next seven years, Maisy lived in a field behind Dad’s farmhouse. Annabel and I still visited her every day – she had become a huge part of our family, and Mum and Dad had grown very fond of her too. Eventually, Dad became too old for farming. He’d developed Parkinson’s, and Mum was poorly too. So the farm had to be wound down and, after a couple of years, Maisy was the only cow left.
Dad worried about what would become of Maisy. I knew I would inherit her so in 2016, I started researching animal sanctuaries, and discovered Brinsley Animal Rescue – an amazing place near Nottingham that rescues everything from owls to pigs. There was something special about the place.
I’ll never forget the look on Dad’s face when I told him we’d found Maisy a home – he was so relieved. Mum died in 2017, and we lost Dad 18 months later. By then, they’d both had the chance to see pictures of Maisy happily settled in her new home.
Now Maisy has a lovely life – she’s even had a
