It didn’t take long before they decided to take in their second rescue calf named Daisy, who was a bottle baby. Two or three weeks later, another rescue approached the Massies about a second calf in need of a loving home. “She’s pretty spoiled, and she runs the place now.” She eats animal crackers, and she gets what she wants,” Massie said. “Buttercup just immediately became part of the family. Her daughter Carlie was at home waiting when the trailer with Buttercup pulled up to their farm. “She had tags in her ears, but they had been removed. Somebody spent some time with her,” Massie said. She was friendly, and she obviously was somebody’s calf. Two hours later she got a phone call and the director said: “I’d like you to have Buttercup.”Īs she started to relax in her surroundings after her Barton Heights adventure, some of Buttercup’s personality finally started to emerge. I was not even remotely thinking we’d get a phone call because adopting is very difficult these days.” “This would be great for her, so we had to get her. Her daughter Carlie had a steer that she was very close to that she raised from a bottle, and they lost him two years ago to cancer. Massie called and sent an email to RACC’s director in the hopes that perhaps they could adopt Buttercup. “They’re all pets, and they all have names.” They were hopeful that perhaps their farm could be the right fit for Buttercup’s needs. The Massies have a farm close to Richmond where they have Quarter Horses, Miniature Herefords (quite a few which they raised from bottle babies), dogs and barn cats. Her husband Scott immediately said, “We need to get her.” She was skinny and scared, but she was eating buttercups while she was waiting to be loaded to go to temporary housing at the Richmond Police Department’s Mounted Unit stables.Ī couple of days later, Tracie Massie was scrolling through Facebook when she came across RACC’s post about Buttercup’s story and her need for a loving home. When Officer Leech responded to the Barton Heights neighborhood in the Northside of Richmond, sure enough, the caller was correct… there was a small brown and white calf wandering in the neighborhood.Īfter a few minutes and a few phone calls for assistance, the calf was lassoed and befriended by Officer Leech and other RACC staff members who responded to assist. On the evening of May 9, one of our Richmond Animal Care and Control officers received a not-so-normal call.

What's Up, Buttercup? by Jane Cousins