The Sorrell family in Mount Sterling, Kentucky, said it found a newborn calf suffering outdoors in single-digit temperatures and brought the animal into their home as hours of extreme cold continued. Macey Sorrell said her husband, Tanner, went outside to check on the pregnant mother and discovered the calf in a frozen state.
Sorrell described the condition in detail, saying, “She was just frozen. Her umbilical cord looked like a popsicle,” and adding, “It was just frozen.” After what she described as last winter’s loss of a calf to frostbite, the family said it moved quickly this time to prevent further harm by bringing the newborn indoors to be cared for and warmed.
In their home, Sorrell said the family cleaned the calf and worked to remove what had remained from birth while warming the animal. She said, “When we brought her in, she had ice on her. The afterbirth was still on her, I had to wipe all that off,” describing steps that included using a blow dryer to warm the calf and then fluffing it out.
Hours later, Sorrell said the calf was able to lie on the couch and cuddle with the family’s children. She said the kids approached the animal as if it were normal, telling how, “They crawled up next to her like it was just the most normal thing,” and she said her 3-year-old son decided to name the calf Sally, a character from his favorite movie, “Cars.”
The family said it keeps about three dozen cows on its land and is accustomed to bringing farm animals indoors when necessary. Sorrell said Sally was reunited with her mother the next morning and that the calf is doing well. She also said she was hesitant to share photos on social media because it was routine for the family, but that the response “did not go unnoticed,” with commenters reacting to the images.
Sorrell said, “It’s just part of what you do,” as she described what turned into a widely shared moment of care during Kentucky’s frigid weather.