A cow named Speckles
5/27/202633 min
When 10-year-old Doug Crandell joined the 4-H program, he was supposed to learn about raising, feeding, and selling a cow. What he wound up learning was something else entirely. “I wanted to be a hog man, like my father,” he said. “But I knew pretty early on that you couldn’t have these animals forever.” From producer Shaina Shealy, this is the story of a boy and his cow, Speckles. Featuring Doug Crandell. Produced by Shaina Shealy. For full credits and transcript, visit outsideinradio.org. SUPPORT Outside/In is made possible with listener support. Click here to become a sustaining member of Outside/In. Follow Outside/In on Instagram or join our private discussion group on Facebook. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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Transcript preview
First 90 secondsNate Heggie· Host0:00
From NHPR, this is Outside In, a show where curiosity and the natural world collide. I'm Nate Heggie.
Doug Crandell· Guest0:06
[chickens clucking] Hey, sweeties. Come here. Shh.
Nate Heggie· Host0:09
Doug Crandall is a farmer.
Doug Crandell· Guest0:12
They're a little excited- Sorta ... having visitors.
Nate Heggie· Host0:16
His farm in Douglasville, Georgia, it's more like a boarding house for rescued animals. Over the years, he's tended sheep, goats, cattle, raccoons.
Doug Crandell· Guest0:27
Anything that shows up, we're gonna take care of. So we've had 12 rescue dogs. We've had a goose show up. We had a rooster show up that wasn't ours.
Nate Heggie· Host0:39
Another reason this isn't a traditional farm is that they don't kill and eat any of these animals. They care for them until they die naturally, and then they bury them around the property.
Doug Crandell· Guest0:50
So we have several, I guess, pet cemeteries around the property, but that's nice to visit and, you know, remember. And to be quite honest, it's a privilege to be able to provide homes and safe places for the, the animals that we just consider part of our family.
Nate Heggie· Host1:14
As you might expect, there's not a lot of money in rescuing animals like this. And by profession, Doug is a writer. But there was a time when he was just 10 years old that Doug aspired to be a