We're All Kin

Harpo and Oprah are gentle creatures, indeed.  Their beautiful dark eyes speak volumes to anyone who falls under their gaze.  When you learn why they came to Home At Last, you'll understand how special these two animals are.

As you know, Home At Last has taken care of pigs, goats, rabbits, ferrets, dogs, and cats from almost our very first day.  Many of you know the story of Gilbert, the 900 pound hog, who'd just lost a battle with a truck on an interstate highway.  Gilbert has become a wonderful symbol of what Home At Last is all about since he arrived here from Louisville nearly two years ago.  He was so bruised and battered that we weren't sure if Gilbert would bounce back or not.  But with the help of Chessie, a very special cat, and hundreds of caring Home At Last friends, this big hog is in heaven on earth.  All manner of animals followed Gilbert and took up their own special places here.  Now, Home At Last has welcomed two more very special animals...Oprah and Harpo, two beautiful holstein cows.

The latest arrivals' stories rank right up there in impact with Gilbert's or Braveheart's or Rodney's, our friendly Cincinnati pit bull.  They were named for the television personality by Stewart David, who attended the famous Oprah beef trial in Texas.  He and his wife, Terri, rescued these two wonderful creatures from a horrible situation in North Carolina.  According to Stewart, "It all began on March 13, 1998, when Animal Control officers in Buncombe Co., NC responded to a complaint that cows were wandering loose on a road. What they discovered was an entire herd of abused cattle...in varying stages of poor health, some so sick and emaciated they couldn't get up.  They were malnourished, dehydrated, had rampant parasites, and some had pneumonia."  Obviously, not all the cows made it, but Oprah and her son Harpo are two of the 30 that did.

The difficult part for Stewart and his group, The North Carolina Network for Animals, was finding homes for so many cows.  Fighting against a plan to slaughter the cows to raise money for the local shelter, Stewart got busy and found homes for every last cow.  They were moved to California, Maryland, Georgia, Pennsylvania, and here to Home At Last in Kentucky.

The experience of Oprah and Harpo has inspired us and it certainly had a profound influence on Stewart David.  He writes, "Those gentle beings touched my life.  Many sanctuaries that adopted the cows have education centers, and it is not uncommon for someone to visit and later let the sanctuary know their lives had been changed.  It is my greatest hope that some of these beautiful cows will touch human souls."

Oprah and Harpo are survivors.  But beyond that they offer important lessons for us if we'll only listen.  It's not often that I can personally provide daily hands-on care for Home At Last animals, but I had the good fortune to help the cows out of Stewart's trailer and then feed them for a month and a half while we waited for new fencing to be completed.

It didn't take for Oprah long to learn the sound of my voice (and even my truck) and start her slow amble up to 'our spot' where she enjoyed her twice-a-day meals.  Sometimes, I walked over to the ridge where she and Harpo were lounging.  All I had to do was whisper, "Oprah," and she'd be at my side in no time ready for breakfast or supper.