If the kids of the Sorrell family of Louisville, Kentucky, ever hear their parents complain about the cleanliness of their rooms with the old, “This place is a pigsty!” or “Does it look like we live in a barn?,” they just have to point to the calf on the couch for a counterargument. OK, so they don’t always have a baby cow in their living room. But this winter’s record-breaking storm that rolled through the Midwest in late January led the farming family to share its couch with an odd guest. The Sorrells own three dozen cows. One of them was pregnant. Her due date fell the same day Winter Storm Fern arrived. Sure enough, when Macey Sorrell and her husband went to check on the heifer, she had birthed a female calf. The Sorrells could tell right away that the newborn was in danger. “She was just frozen. Her umbilical cord looked like a popsicle,” Macey told The Associated Press (AP). “It was just frozen.” The family had lost calves before to the cold. They knew there was only one thing to do. They brought the baby inside. “When we brought her in, she had ice on her,” Macey said. “I took out the blow dryer and warmed her up, and got her all fluffed out.” Soon after, the happy calf cuddled up on the couch with the two Sorrell kids. Macey snapped a few pics. They immediately went viral online. Commenters praised the family for such quick thinking and kindness. But for the experienced farmers, bringing the calf into their home was second nature. “It’s just part of what you do,” Macey told the AP. Thought Question: Think about a time you helped someone or something. What made helping feel like the right thing to do? Gif of calf from Giphy.
