Rachel and Huckleberry.

Woman Throws A Birthday Party For The Cow Who Saved Her Life

Saving someone else's life will make you an instant hero. That's what Huckleberry is to his "mom," and she calls him "my savior."

So when Huckleberry turned 1 on November 26, Rachel Beasley wanted to make it a very special day.

Rachel knows that Huckleberry will not understand how important he is to her. "He will never know how much I needed him," Rachel said. "I needed him in my life."

Mom and her baby.

Almost exactly a year ago, Huckleberry was just 2-days old when his heifer mother unexpectedly died.

"We believe Huckleberry's mom consumed a toxic amount of acorns," Beasley said. "I am comforted by the fact that she didn't suffer long and her death gave my sweet boy a chance for a very long life."

Rachel works as an operating room nurse and lives on 38 acres in southwest Virginia. She dedicates her time to the well-being of her rescued animals, including a dozen chickens, five pigs, four cats, four dogs and two sheep. Rachel's dream is to open an animal sanctuary someday.

Huckleberry turned 1.

Complicating things, she shares the property with her father's farm animals — cows and bulls being raised as livestock, not as pets. "He's had them since long before I was born. But they have lots of pasture and are well cared for, unlike many others," Beasley said.

Huckleberry's mother was one of her father's cows. When she died, and Rachel began to take care if the orphaned calf, and Huckleberry became hers.

"With him being a bottle baby there was no question," she said.

Rachel grew especially attached to Huckleberry because he needed her just when she also lost one of her beloved pets — Grace, a 16-years old elderly sheep, whom she describes as "one of the great loves of my life."

Rachel and her sheep, Grace.

"I spent hours laying with her in the field and barn and had the vet check her out a couple of times," she said. "Grace was going downhill when Huckleberry arrived." Grace died on December 15. Tending to Huckleberry helped ease some of the pain.

Huckleberry is a sweet, happy boy who loves to eat and get scratches. Beasley's love for him has only grown since he was a baby, for she had bottle feed him since day 1.

His first birthday was special for her as the anniversary of when this wonderful creature came into her life, and when another left her

Celebrating his 1st birthday.

Beasley and Huckleberry wore matching birthday hats for the occasion. After trying — but failing — to find a cow-safe birthday cake recipe, she settled on giving Huckleberry "lots of treats and love." Huckleberry liked it, same as he likes everything Beasley does for him.

"It was emotional for me remembering him coming to me and reflecting on the last year," Beasley said. "I so needed that precious boy. He enjoys every day of his life."

“Cows are amongst the gentlest of breathing creatures; none show more passionate tenderness to their young when deprived of them; and, in short, I am not ashamed to profess a deep love for these quiet creatures.”

- Thomas de Quincey