Some real thoughts from two real ranch wives

Was just reading a post by a fellow ranch wife and could not help but share what she had to say about the topic of animal abuse and the truer side of the story. Please click the link and read what Kacee has to say about caring for animals on a family operation. Her words are strong and powerful and speak up for those of us who are doing right by our animals. The Ranch Wife - I Care About Animals post 

As a rancher and wife there is nothing more important to us, out side the care and safety of our two legged children then our horses and cows. With out the cows we would not have meat to feed our own family. Without the horses we would have no way of making a living on the ranch and our other jobs to pay the bills. Without our cows being healthy, happy and producing healthy babies there would be no money to put in the bank each fall to pay all the ranch bills the next year. These bills include heating our house, buying hay to feed to the cows during the worst of the winter months, maintaining and fixing fence and equipment. We do not do this job to have money to go on vactions, spending sprees or useless stuff so that we can keep up with the "Jones". My husband has always said that we will never get rich ranching, and that is the honest truth, but we can live a way of life that is true, good and provides just enough for us as a family and gives the world a good source of safe food.

So I ask where are all those animal rights people? In the 60+ years of our family running this ranch never once has one called or knocked on the door wanting to see how we do things. Why is that? Because a family run ranch, taking care of its animals no matter the conditions or time of day does not make sensational headlines to shove in the face of people. That is why it is so important for the everyday family ranches to put the real word out there and let everyone know just how much we care for and give to our animals. I have brought my share of baby calves into my house to warm up and get a bottle in them when momma is not able to care for them. One even lived in the house for a month before living in my back yard for the summer. My husband has gone out in the middle of the night to find a baby that momma had wondered away from and was being chased by coyotes. That little one stayed in the house that night until momma came back looking for her in the morning.
Can we always save them all...no. There are just sometimes that God decides things and they are out of our control. But until that animal has taken its last breath on its own we will do all that is humanly possible to save that life. It takes a toll on even the most weathered cowboy and rancher to loose the life of an animal put into their care. While they may not show it to the outside world I know that for a fact a rancher hates to loose a cow, a horse, a sheep, a dog or any animal. It makes them think that they failed some how, there had to be one more thing that they could have done, something that would have changed the outcome; knowing full and well that there was nothing more that could have been done. I have seen it on the face of my own husband and father in law and I know that they think about those times, months even years after they occurred. But I will tell you not once have we ever caused harm to one of our animals, nor will that ever occur on our ranch.

We are a ranching family and we are proud of that.