When people go to a cattle auction, most are looking for the largest and healthiest cattle they can get, not skinny, sickly, tiny calves.
But then, most people aren't Susie Coston.
Coston works for the Farm Sanctuary in Watkins Glen, NY, which takes in ill, disabled, elderly, or otherwise "undesirable" farm animals and gives them a second chance to have the happy and healthy lives they deserve.
So when she saw Blitzen back in 2010, a male calf who was only a day or two old and just 37 pounds, she knew she couldn't leave him there on the auction stage. The other people there, though, weren't so kind.
"They called him trash and joked about him," she recalls. "No one bid on him."
So Coston did. She was already in the process of rescuing two other calves for the sanctuary. Named Lawrence and Alexander, they'd come from huge dairy farms in New York and Pennsylvania.
Like Blitzen, the two were sickly and underweight, having been separated from their mothers far too early and denied the colostrum they needed from their mothers' milk to build up immunities.
"Calves often arrive at the stockyard too weak to stand, dehydrated, and without having received vital colostrum from their mothers," Coston says. "This leaves them vulnerable to infection and disease, which quickly sets in."
Coston was quick to scoop up Blitzen, and together with Lawrence and Alexander, they all went to an animal hospital at Cornell University in Ithaca, NY, where they received the medical help they desperately needed.
Then, it was off to their new home.
[H/T: BoredPanda]
This is how Blitzen appeared when farm animal rescuer Susie Coston found him.
Stockyards are terrifying places for very young calves, as they get ripped away from their mothers. They're also dangerous.
Without a mother's milk, calves don't get the immunities they need, and many fall ill to infection.
But as sickly and skinny as he was, Coston fell in love.
"When I first saw little Blitzen, I assumed he would sell right away, but of course I was seeing the cutest animal alive, while others were not seeing him at all," Coston remembers.
While there, Coston also met Lawrence and Alexander, two similarly desperate and tiny calves.
Coston sat through several auctions, and all three calves, Blitzen, Lawrence, and Alexander, had no offers.
They were too small and weak-seeming to be raised for beef or breeding, so they were passed over.
The auctioneer offered all three to Coston.
All three were driven to Nemo Farm Animal Hospital at Cornell University.
While Blitzen was the smallest of the trio at only 37 pounds, he was actually the healthiest of the three.
Lawrence, pictured here lying down and wrapped in a blanket, couldn't even stand.
Blitzen, though, stuck by his side.
Lawrence was in the worst shape, and very near death. Luckily, the doctors at Cornell were able to save him.
And while Blitzen was the healthiest, he still had to be treated for pneumonia and given a blood transfusion because of his undeveloped immune system — which gives you an idea of how poorly the others were doing.
But soon enough, they were given clean bills of health and allowed to go to their new home.
Even in this photo, you can see the improvement. Blitzen was kept on a regimen of antibiotics and lots of bottle feeds, and started getting stronger every day.
He also had places to frolic and explore outside.
And received plenty of love from his new human friends.
The calves were given the colostrum they'd been denied for so long. That's Blitzen on the left and Lawrence on the right, recovered from his illness. Alexander ended up staying in the hospital a little longer than these two, but eventually he came home, too.
And the three of them were reunited at last. Blitzen grew up to be a sassy calf who doesn't let his small stature hold him back from making his presence known, even challenging the sanctuary's herd leader to a little head-butting competition!
Now 6, the trio spends their time running through the fields, taking in the sunshine, and enjoying one another's company. What more could a bovine want?
And as for Blitzen? He's grown up quite handsomely and hasn't lost any of his sass. He's still smallish for his breed, but today, he loves to greet visitors and is as full of personality as ever. His pals Lawrence and Alexander are big and healthy, too. Lawrence, who was so weak six years ago, is now a robust 2,600 pounds.
You can see the other residents of the sanctuary on their website, and keep up with newcomers on Facebook and Instagram. You can also donate to make sure animals like Blitzen and his friends stay healthy, and that more babies can go to a good home. And of course SHARE this wonderful rescue story with everyone you know!
