Critter Creek

George Harrison Valentino is a Holstein mix who was meant to be a veal calf, but he was so cute and sweet that a UF student (thankfully) rescued him. He was hand-raised by kind people, but he eventually got really lonely and started to break out of his pasture looking for other cows. That led his family to find CCFS, where he could become part of a herd. He’s obviously a giant puppy, just watch out for his horns!

Lemmy is a black Angus and our second rescue. He was hand-raised at a friend’s farm by his daughter-in-law, Simone, but unfortunately, Lemmy didn’t belong to them. When he was about six months old, his true “owner” came to collect him and take him to market to sell him. Simone, devastated about the prospect of losing this sweet grass puppy to such a cruel fate, contacted us in a panic and begged us to intervene. We were happy to help and contacted the owner of the stock yard, who allowed us to bring Lemmy to CCFS. He’s one of our most affectionate critters and loves to come up and ask for pets and brushes.

Rocky is a really sweet Holstein steer who likes being pet. We received an email from a woman named Tammy informing us that her kids brought home a calf to their house in a neighborhood. Her kids saw a man selling discarded male dairy calves from a trailer in a parking lot. Rocky was particularly skinny, and they were worried for him, so they brought him home. Tammy was not thrilled when Rocky arrived, but she took the situation in stride and stayed up all night researching how to care for the baby, all while trying to hide him from the neighbors. She then set out to find him an appropriate home, and that’s when she contacted us. We gladly agreed to bring Rocky to CCFS, where he has fit in wonderfully since day one.

Philomena is the herd’s second sergeant. This sweet, friendly girl is always one of the first on the scene any time something is going on in her pasture. She never hesitates to guard her herd or whack an insolent newbie with her horns. Indeed, she still intimidates George Harrison Valentino, who outweighs her by a good 700lbs.

Sienna is a laid-back, affectionate teddy bear who will stand around and let you pet her for hours. And if you stop petting her, she’s liable to use your leg as a scratching post for her head. Often referred to as the “Golden Retriever” of the herd.

Alexis is very smart, and as a result, very suspicious. It took us fully a year to be able to pet her, and she still isn’t a big fan of being touched.

Claire is the herd leader (matriarch) and can often be seen lurking in the back of the herd, watching over everyone, making sure no funny business is about. She isn’t a fan of being pet, but she might come up for cow cookies. She is more than likely a Brangus cow, but more Brangman than Angus.

Ace is Claire’s massive son, and even though he is a big boy, he is cautious like his mama. Ace is curious and loves to play, and much like a cat, will let you pet him when he feels like being pet.

Astraea was born on September 4, 2018. She is a sweet and curious girl, and can be pet if approached slowly. She loves hanging around for treats!

Fawn is a big, beautiful Jersey girl with gorgeous eyes. Not a mean bone in her body. Likes to be pet, but may not like strangers. She also likes to moo with her mouth closed. Fawn is a good friend of Claire, but is not allowed to push her around. Due to her, umm… roundness, many ask if Fawn is pregnant. She is not. She has just always been a full-figured moo-person. Cows come in all shapes and sizes, and we love them all!

Bruce is a little doofy but sweet. He hasn’t quite been the same since he lost his mom. Bruce is a friendly steer who enjoys cow cookies, but he’s not as outgoing as he used to be. He, Ace, and Astraea are the best of friends.

Hazel is the matriarch of her crew and probably part black Angus. She is very kind, but not crazy about being pet. Her back and hips still look skinny, but her belly is big—our vet says it’s just because she really likes eating and she gains weight unevenly. Think of it as being like a beer belly. Hazel is a beautiful cow with a unique pattern of white spots on her belly.

Iggy is Otis and Hazel’s adorable son. He is cute, but shy. He may be hesitant to receive pets from strangers, but he’ll definitely take a cow cookie from anyone!

Violet is Hazel’s granddaughter. She lost her mom and was devastated. Thankfully, Hazel adopted Violet and fed and raised her. She and Iggy are best buddies, and she is just the sweetest moo friend. She will let people pet her, but must be approached gently.

Otis is a giant jersey steer and the dad of Violet and Iggy. Mellow and sweet, but not a big fan of being pet. Won’t get mad about it, but will look at you like, “Must you?” Many guests ask about his horns and if they will grow “into” his head. Otis was born with a congenital defect in his horns, where his cartilage does not connect to the bones. His horns are actually “floppy” and can be jiggled back and forth. They rest on his head but do not grow properly, so they will never actually grow into his head.

Myrna is the herd’s busybody with an adorable underbite. She knows all the juiciest herd gossip and is constantly suspicious of everyone and everything. She won’t let anyone pet her, but will take treats from you.

Sammy was rescued as an abandoned day-old calf with a badly broken leg. He was cared for by a kind young woman, but she was moving and couldn’t take him with her, so she brought him to us. We continued to cast his broken leg until it was fully healed, at which point he was adopted by Hazel and her crew. He is best buds with Violet and Iggy and will let anyone love on him.

Ozzy is very smart, clearly good at figuring out how to get out of pastures, and very sweet. He loves people, loves the babies of the herd (he is one of the only males the moms will allow to babysit the kids), and absolutely adores eating palm trees. Indeed, he has destroyed many a fence trying to reach an inaccessible palm tree. You can always find Ozzy front and center for treats during moo-kets.

Buttercup is extremely sweet, a herd soldier, and a babysitter. She had always been on the smaller side, so the babies thought she was a baby, too. This led her to assume the role of herd “governess.” Although she has grown in size, she is still looked upon as the babysitter of the group by her herd-mates.

Millie arrived pregnant with Buddy Holly. She is friendly, but not a big fan of being pet. She will come around for treats and can usually be spotted hanging out with Lucille.

Buddy Holly is Millie’s adorable son. He’s a sweet, friendly steer who loves treats and enjoys pets most of the time.

Lucille is friendly and curious, but iffy about being pet. Some days she welcomes pets, while other days she wants nothing do with being touched. She will gladly take treats, though.

Grover is a cute little dude, but shy. He will come up to take treats, but isn’t a big fan of being pet. He is missing his tail due to a congenital deformity that is similar to spina bifida in humans.

Valentina is a sweet, friendly girl who loves cow cookies and enjoys being pet. She arrived pregnant and gave birth to Pablo in August 2022.

Pablo is Valentina’s sweet, shy baby boy. He isn’t quite sure, but is beginning to warm up to us somewhat.

Cinnabun is a very friendly, lovable girl who enjoys treats and loves being pet. She and Valentina are the best of friends.

Eli was born on a family-run, organic dairy farm. Like all calves in the dairy industry, he was taken away from his mother at birth. He was going to meet the same fate as most male babies born on dairy farms-he was going to be sent to slaughter the day of his birth. Fortunately, he was rescued by Jason Bolalek of Operation Liberation, who brought both Eli and Marley to CCFS. Eli is a sweet steer who loves cow cookies! Friendly and will let you pet him, just watch out for those horns!

At just 1.5 weeks of age, Marley was taken from her mother and loaded onto a truck to be taken to a “nursery”. Had she survived the nursery, she would have been moved to a finishing farm. At 3 months, if she were too small or too sick, she would have been sent to the gas chamber. Otherwise, she would have been allowed to live for six months, then loaded onto a truck and sent to the slaughterhouse. Marley either jumped or fell from the truck on its way to the “nursery” and luckily survived the fall, managing only to get a few scrapes, bumps, and bruises. She loves attention, food, and rolling in the mud with her new piggy friends at CCFS.

Lionel is such an outgoing, sweet boy. He loves treats and really enjoys being pet.

Amos is such a sweetheart. He enjoys treats but tends to be a bit shy around strangers. Once in a while, he enjoys being petted, but most of the time, he wants you to admire his adorableness from afar.

Potato is such a sweet, smart boy. He loves apples and, much like a dog, will sit for them. It’s the cutest thing! He’s outgoing and loves belly rubs, but he can be shy sometimes. People often admire Potato’s ears, saying he has “butterfly ears.” Of course, we agree that everything about him is adorable, but the notches in his ears tell a darker story. Those aren’t natural notches. Instead, they are a universal ear-notching system used by farms. The notches tell us Potato’s litter number and his position within the litter: He is the 8th piglet from litter 31. They are cruel reminders of what his fate could have been.

Beans jumped from a factory farm transport truck when he was just a few weeks old. A kind woman took him in and gave him a home for about a year, but she realized he needed other pig friends. She contacted Sisu Refuge in North Carolina, but they were busting at the seams with new rescues, so they called us. When Beans first arrived, he wasn’t so sure about his new mud mates, Boomer and Potato. This was Bean’s first time around other pigs since he was taken from his mother as a baby. He quickly warmed up to them, though, and now they are an adorable, inseparable trio!

In mid-January 2023, Sisu Refuge in North Carolina received a call about a little piglet the sheriff’s office found during a meth lab bust. As you can imagine, Noodle wasn’t living in the greatest conditions. Sisu was at capacity (and then some) at the time of his rescue, so we gladly offered to be his forever home. Upon his arrival, he immediately bonded with Potato, and the two have been inseparable ever since. Noodle is an absolute sweetheart and loves to be pet. Watch out, though… he’s a shoe nibbler!

Rupert is the largest pig out of the four big boys. He is a gentle giant and total love, but watch your toes when he’s around! Getting stepped on by a 900-pound pig doesn’t feel so great!

Oliver is the second largest of the big boys, and while sweet, he can be somewhat of a troublemaker. We’re pretty sure his love language is light bullying and biting. Oliver likes to nip at fingers, legs, shoes… anything really. He’s easy to tell apart from the other big boys because he’s the only one out of the four of them with ears that stand straight up.

Hog Solo is an intelligent, happy guy. He and the three other big boys are Yorkshires, a breed of pig that’s been selectively bred and genetically manipulated to have accelerated growth rates so farmers can slaughter them at just six months of age. This genetic manipulation makes them prone to cancer, especially skin cancer. We noticed an odd spot on Solo’s neck, and our vet determined it was squamous cell carcinoma. Sadly, his prognosis is not good.