Sebastopol family reunited with pet calf mistakenly sold at auction

Thanks to social media, a Sebastopol family has been reunited with their pet calf after he was mistakenly sold at auction.

Kerri Green’s father gave her the bull calf, named Nash, last year for her 45th birthday. Green’s father had been working at a ranch in Bodega Bay when he found the animal trying to nurse from his dying mother.

Paige, Green’s 10-year-old daughter, quickly formed a deep bond with Nash, raising him in the backyard of their Sebastopol duplex until he got too big, according to a personal blog Green writes for the Bob & Sheri show, a nationally broadcast radio show.

Last week, as part of a deal with the cattle manager at the Bodega Bay ranch, Nash was sent back to the ranch. The manager had agreed to let the growing bovine roam free on the property.

Green received daily updates about the calf from her father, who sent videos and photos of Nash with other animals at the ranch.

But, on July 21, Green’s father couldn’t find Nash to send his usual photos. After two days went by he contacted the cattle manager to ask if he had seen the animal.

Turns out, some workers had come to load up the cattle to sell at auction, and were not told to look out for the little one without an ear tag, or a brand, and leave him out of the lot.

Nash was taken along with hundreds of other cattle to the Turlock Auction Yard in Merced County.

By the time Green’s family heard, Nash had already been sold.

Panic struck as the family anxiously called the auction house, only “hitting dead ends,” according to Green.

She posted about him going missing on Facebook, offering up to $1,000 for his safe return.

Less than 24 hours later, the original post, now deleted, had over 300 shares. Dozens of strangers reached out to her via text and phone with contacts or possible tips about the calf’s whereabouts, Green said.

Max Olvera, an auctioneer at the Turlock Auction Yard, worked the phones, using his contacts to help find the animal.

Eventually, Nash was tracked to a rancher in Dixon in Solano County.

In a Monday Facebook post, Green said, “You guys, WE THINK WE GOT HIM!!!” Tuesday evening they confirmed it was Nash, with help from the Dixon rancher who bought him.

The calf was delivered back home Tuesday, and so far, no one has claimed the reward.

According to Kerri, her father reached out to “a couple people [they] were sure deserved compensation, but they all refused, saying kindly it was covered, and they were just happy to get him home safe.”

Nash now calls a 7.5-acre family ranch in Santa Rosa owned by a friend of Green’s home. Green’s father is planning to refence and maintain the property in exchange for housing Nash.

“I go to bed tonight so humbled, grateful and in awe of all the goodness left in the world. Don’t let the media fool you. The good is not all behind us. There’s so much of it here right now,” Green wrote in a blog post.

Nash is “OK” now, she said. He’s just tattooed with a brand from his temporary stay in Dixon, tagged in his ear, and covered in dirt.