I’m 30 now, and last week I said goodbye to one of the most important animals I’ve ever known. Bunny, my Brahma cow, made it to 25 years old. She passed around December 2, 2025. Writing that out still feels surreal.

I’ve had her basically my whole life. And I realized I don’t just want to grieve quietly. I want to share her with people, because she was one of those rare animals that becomes part of your story in a way that’s hard to explain unless you’ve lived it.

the christmas miracle in the shed

The first time I met Bunny, I was five.

It was the Christmas right after I turned 5. We lived in a small house in Cotulla, Texas, with a small shed in the back. We didn’t have farm animals at the time. We had cats and a dog, but nothing that fit the tiny “maybe-we’ll-have-animals-someday” setup we had out there.

Then Christmas morning happened.

I remember going outside and finding a baby calf in the shed. A baby Brahma calf. And next to her, a black and white goat, of all things. It felt like some kind of kid dream that accidentally became real life.

We named the goat Courage because I loved Courage the Cowardly Dog. And we named the cow Bunny because of her big ears. She really did look like a rabbit with hooves.

growing up together

Bunny was gentle from the start. She was hand-fed and sweet in that way that makes you feel safe even when you’re small and the animal is already huge. I used to sit on her back. We grew up together. She wasn’t just “a cow we had.” She was my cow.

She had a calmness to her that stuck with me through every age.

Courage ended up living a long life too, about 15 or 16 years. But Bunny was the constant. The kind of constant you don’t fully appreciate until the day you realize you’ve been lucky to have it for decades.

25 years of a good life

Bunny had an awesome life. She had a few sons and daughters over the years. She was part of the rhythm of our home and the quiet background of so many memories. The kind that don’t always get photographed, but live in you anyway.

I’m going to share some photos here, including one with her son Tiny. The funny part is that Tiny is a massive bull. The name makes me laugh every time.

thank you for loving her with me

This post is mostly for me, but also for anyone who’s ever loved an animal long enough that they become family. Bunny didn’t just live a long life. She lived a good one. And I’m grateful I got to be there for all of it.

So this is me saying goodbye, and also saying thank you.

Goodbye, Bunny.
You were the best.

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