Von Kälbern und Schnupfen

I went for a ride with one of our ranch horses through the woods near Meadowland. At the edge of the forest, in a small clearing, a doe was standing with her calf. Slowly, I rode a little closer. The snow beneath her was red, and a long wound could be seen on her left front leg. The doe didn’t move at all. She probably couldn’t walk and thought that if she stood perfectly still, she wouldn’t be seen. I hurried back to the ranch.

Gillian: “Josh, there’s an injured doe in the forest. She has a calf with her. Will you ride out there with me?”

Josh: “She won’t let us get close — especially not with a calf.”

When we reached the clearing, both of them were gone. But since the doe had been bleeding heavily, a deep red trail in the snow led further into the forest. We followed the trail for quite a while until the trees began to thin out. There she was, lying on the ground, with the calf standing beside her. We were able to get very close.

Gillian: “She can’t walk anymore. We have to take her with us.”

Josh: “I’ll get the transporter. We’ll take her to Hugh in South Hoof. He knows a lot more about injuries like this.”

We loaded mother and calf into the transporter and took the ferry to South Hoof.

Gillian: “…and why couldn’t we treat her back home… and the sweet calf… and…”

Josh: “The vet is on vacation… where would the calf live… who would take care of the wound every day…”

And so it went on for the entire drive. The result: not a single word between us by the time the ferry docked in South Hoof. I was furious — and Josh seemed to be thoroughly enjoying the silence. Then he even turned on the radio and started whistling along.

At the rescue ranch, Hugh examined the wound immediately and treated it.

Hugh: “The wound wasn’t deep. I disinfected it and put on a bandage. They should stay here for a few days. We’ll put them in the feed storage. I have to leave now. You should stay with them tonight. The last ferry has already gone anyway.”

So, unwillingly, we spent the night with the two of them in the feed storage.

Josh: “This is not how I imagined spending a night with you.”

Gillian: “Oh Josh, same here. A night with you… we could have painted the stable or finally cleaned up the tack room or…”

A few days later, Hugh brought the doe and her calf back. The wound had healed well and didn’t need further treatment. We released them at the spot where I had first seen them. Two other deer stepped out of the forest.

Gillian: “Looks like they were already being awaited.”

Hugh: “It’s always a moving moment when animals return to their herds. And did you notice — when the doe realized she needed help, she trusted humans.”

When I got back, Josh was standing in front of the stable, sniffling.

Josh: “I’ve caught a terrible cold… searching for deer in the woods, sleeping in a shed… who’s going to take care of me now?”

Gillian: “I told you right away to put on a jacket… and that shirt — do you own only that one? In this weather, a hat would’ve been better than that cap…”