Blind cow creates special place in hearts of those who know her

By MONETTE TAYLOR | South Central Texas Edition

Within her specially-fenced small pasture, 'Miss Helen' keeps close tabs on her new calf, named 'Miss Moo.' -- Staff photo by Taylor

Dec. 23, 2004 - Just in time for Christmas, we have a new addition to our "farm-in-town." Her name is "Miss Moo," and she was named by our grandson, Trey, 5.

A couple of years ago, I first wrote about our special cow. Her name is "Miss Helen," and she was named after Helen Keller. You see, she is "visually-challenged," but it has not stopped her from being a perfect mother with perfect calves.

When my husband, Ed, first brought Miss Helen home ... over five years ago ... I couldn't imagine how the scared little calf with no eyeballs could ever function in a pasture without being in constant trouble, much less becoming a mother! She has proven me wrong on both counts, and has given us and our grandchildren many hours of pleasure, watching her grow up and learn her way around her pastures.

Miss Helen was sired by a Simmental bull and her mother was part Brahman, part Hereford and part "something else." The rancher who owned her mother didn't have the time to take care of a blind calf, so ... like many others in our area ... asked Ed if he'd be interested in taking the calf home with him. As usual, an animal in need is just Ed's cup of tea, and he was more than eager to give Miss Helen a home in La Grange, complete with special fencing and landmarks for her to be able to find her way around without help. It didn't take long.

Our local veterinarian told us that the missing eyes were just a "fluke" of nature, and in his 15-plus years of practice, has only seen a couple of cases. At first, we were hesitant to let her become pregnant, but as the months passed and she learned her way around the pasture and became a beautiful heifer, we decided to let her try, one time, to be a mother.

Little did we know that she would present us with a new calf each year from 2001 until 2004, and each one has been perfect. Of course, she loves to give birth in the worse rainstorm or cold spell of the year! Her first calf was born the weekend after Thanksgiving in 2001, and our eldest granddaughter, Julia, then 6, named her "Grace," because of the holiday. Although the vet had been over to artificially inseminate her, we are pretty sure that she was the product of a young, Jersey bull that had jumped the fence. Miss Helen's only little bull, "Bevo," came along in early October of 2002 ... right in the middle of football season ... and was named by Trey. This time the calf was surely the product of the vet-assisted A.I.

By Thanksgiving in 2003, "Red Rain," named by granddaughter, Emily, then 4, was born, sired by a Watusi bull. Once again, it was a holiday birth.

Finally, in the middle of a terrible rainstorm on Dec. 6 of this year, "Miss Moo," (Trey's choice) also part Watusi, arrived in the middle of all the rain and mud. Again, another perfect calf and another perfect birth.

Throughout the years, Miss Helen has continued to be a perfect mother. She always seems to know exactly where her calf is, or shortly finds it. Watching her "mother" her calves is really something special. She's never accidentally stepped on any one of them.

Throughout the years, Miss Helen has loved Ed. When he speaks to her or calls her over to the fence, her ears perk up just like a jack rabbit and she starts a slow walk towards his voice. She knows that if she can get there, there will be a good "scratching" of her back, and she really enjoys that.

Other animals in our pastures work around Miss Helen, and there's never been a contest as to who is the boss. The other animals ... even the mean Tom Turkey ... give her the right-of-way.

We've decided that if it is the holiday season, we're sure to have a new calf, and we look forward to many more years of allowing the grandchildren to take turns naming them. Before long, all of them will be grown, but they will take with them the memories of Miss Helen ... a special mother ... and the fun they had at Gran and Granddad's house.