Erin Amerman ran the Critter Creek Farm Sanctuary in Florida. One day, she got a call about a calf, Bentley, refusing to nurse. The little one was 17 days old, and as soon as he arrived at the sanctuary, everyone instantly fell in love with him.
The calf was very adorable. However, he did not interact with the sanctuary people very much when they first got him. After the vet checked Bentley the next day, he diagnosed him with Dummy Calf Syndrome.
A calf with this condition would be born without proper oxygen. First, the animal’s situation was such that the sanctuary people didn’t know how to nurse. Secondly, it did not even occur to them to try nursing the calf. Finally, Bentley did not want to eat anything even after the rescuers tried several methods.
They could not do anything to get him interested. So, they introduced him to their other cow, Stanley. The people at the sanctuary thought that Stanley also suffered from the same problem. So, the rescuers thought maybe the two of them would be able to understand each other.
It was pretty much love at first sight for them. Stanley immediately started cleaning Bentley. The calf finally had a friend. They understood each other well. At that moment, Bentley came in and ate solid food for the very first time.
Stanley could really bring out the happy calf in him. Sometimes when Bentley was thrilled, he became a bit sassy. He would always do this little jump when he was delighted. He would bounce around on his toes and look adorable.
Bentley loved everybody, and they loved him back. However, the bond between the tiny calf and Stanley was at another level. He was like a role model for the calf. It seemed like Bentley had decided that Stanley was his mom. Only when he chose Stanley to be his family did he start to really develop. Soon Bentley began to eat on his own, and the rescuers were ecstatic. They knew he was going to thrive.
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