Rowdy Girl Sanctuary
From cattle ranch to 5013c non-profit vegan farm animal sanctuary.
By Susan Sims, Publisher
I LOVE COWS. Not long ago my oldest son, Scott, gifted me with a trip to Farm Sanctuary in California for Mother’s Day. The highlight of the tour was the photo op with Bruno, a giant of a bull. I was in awe at how huge and gentle he was and mindful not to let him lick my face as a cow’s tongue is very rough-nearly like sandpaper.
It follows that for this year’s annual cruelty-free issue I wanted to continue my adoration of these sentient creatures by interviewing Renee King-Sonnen, founder of the Rowdy Girl Sanctuary in Texas.
Susan Sims: What was the turning point in your life, or the ‘aha’ moment when you looked at our animal friends as sentient beings and not food?
Renee King-Sonnen: The turning point in my life occurred when I began bottle feeding a Brangus calf, I named Rowdy Girl. Though it took me several years to break through tradition and conditioning, she was the catalyst.
SS: Please talk about Rowdy Girl.
RKS: Rowdy Girl is now 11 years old. I bought her when she was just a baby from a cattle rancher up the road from our place we used to have in Angleton, Texas. It was my husband’s idea. He thought that me buying Rowdy Girl would get me more involved in the ranching business, but his plan backfired. I fell head over heels in love with the little calf and she became the inspiration that ultimately led me and my husband (a multi- generational cattle rancher) to go vegan and create the first ever beef cattle ranch vegan conversion in history.
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