Pet cow saved after steep ravine fall euthanized

Tiny failed to come home for dinner Monday night.

Worried family members searching for her found the 18-year-old perched precariously at the edge of a steep ravine, stuck after a fall of about 100 yards.

They called for help and volunteer Sonoma County firefighters worked through the night on a difficult and lengthy rescue effort to save the elderly half ton Jersey cow.

Using specialized equipment for large animal rescues they hauled the bovine to a safer spot where she was left with her emotional and grateful owner John Fouts, who hoped to help her walk home once she’d rested.

But Tiny had suffered injuries in the fall and Tuesday afternoon John and Suzanne Fouts made the difficult decision to have her put down.

“This is more than a cow. This is our pet,” John Fouts said late Tuesday morning. “She’s just been a part of the family for over 18 years.”

Initial efforts included trying to drag the 1,000-pound animal up the hill on property at the Mountain Home Ranch Resort west of Calistoga, but she was too heavy.

“It was very brushy, very steep, very slippery,” said Mountain Volunteer Fire Department Chief Loren Davis, who responded with five volunteers.

Hiking down to the cow on the sloping hillside, firefighters tied up Tiny’s legs to keep her from kicking and standing. Bright lights were set and firefighters began rigging up the department’s new ropes and pulley rescue system. County fire officials then turned to a new asset available in the Sonoma County to help get her out of the ravine: the large-animal rescue team.

A growing number of Sonoma County firefighters have trained for such rescues, including Glen Ellen and Kenwood firefighters. Those two departments own the necessary equipment for such rescues – huge sleds, tackle and strapping to hold a large animal. It’s kept at the Atwood Ranch in Glen Ellen off Highway 12. Late Monday, Kenwood Firefighter Lisa Hardy and a Glen Ellen volunteer grabbed the gear and headed for the distressed cow.

“She was in a really precarious situation,” Hardy said. “She had gone down and kind of settled on a little bit of a shelf. Every time she tried to reposition herself it caused her to slip even further.”

The valley firefighters hooked up the sled to the pulley system and Tiny was eased onto a huge, hard plastic board and strapped down. With three to five firefighters on the rope, they slowly hauled her about halfway up the hill.

Firefighters then carved out an area into the hillside to provide a somewhat level space. They shored it up with pieces of plywood, building Tiny a tiny corral of sorts to keep her safely in place.

“I’ve rescued some unique things: a parrot from a tree, iguanas and the standard cat in a storm drain. Not a cow,” said Jeff Lemelin, a longtime firefighter and volunteer captain with Mountain who orchestrated the rescue.

Fouts, who had been watching and worrying from above, was helped down and stayed with her, hoping rest, food and water would enable Tiny to stand so he could slowly walk her out along a nearby trail.

Tiny didn’t have any obvious injuries but was clearly exhausted. She was sedated and given pain medication and was sleeping when firefighters left about 6 a.m.

The Fouts family got Tiny just after she was born. The animal was a gift to the Fouts’ godson, but since the child lived in a Rohnert Park condo, the animal came to Mountain Home Ranch, a 103-year-old resort.

The family fed baby Tiny from a bottle and kept the young calf indoors during torrential rains, where she joined other animals that also became family members and helped entertain resort guests for years. She’s been photographed and her image painted many times, including a few versions that took awards in fair competitions in the state, he said.

You can reach Staff Writer Randi Rossmann at 707-521-5412 or randi.rossmann@pressdemocrat.com. On Twitter@rossmannreport.