A Surprising Friendship Inspired a Haven of Love and Renewed Hope

After Susan Klingenberg rescued a newborn calf and introduced him to her beloved Saint Bernard mix, the pair surprised and touched her by becoming best pals. Their beautiful friendship inspired Susan to start an animal sanctuary that’s now home to all kinds of animals in need of love.

On a cold March night in 2017, Susan Klingenberg carried a one-day-old calf into the cozy, warm kitchen of her Manchester, Maryland, home. Her father looked at his animal-loving daughter and her new addition, shook his head and laughed. “I can’t put him in the barn, it’s too cold out,” Susan told her dad, who nodded in agreement.

After exploring the kitchen, the calf, whom she’d named Bucket, walked over to a big dog bed that belonged to Susan’s beloved Saint Bernard mix, Colton. He looked longingly at it as if thinking, This looks comfortable, and plopped down. Soon little Bucket, himself the size of a large dog, was curled in the bed, fast asleep.

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A surprising friendship

Susan had bought Bucket for $10 earlier that day at a livestock auction and named him in honor of her bucket list wish to save a life. She gazed at him sleeping peacefully in the dog bed and said aloud: “You are going to be safe and loved and are never going to have to worry about a thing. You are going to have so much love.” Later that week, Susan carried Bucket to a fenced-in area near the barn of her 7-acre property. She opened the gate and watched in anticipation as Colton ambled over to meet this new friend for the first time. The pair—who were exactly the same size — rubbed noses and gave each other affectionate licks. Susan’s heart melted.

Since Bucket had just been separated from his mother, he was looking for companionship — and Colton became an instant bestie. The pair started running around the enclosure together and snuggling on the grass as if they were both dogs.

As time passed, the friendship between the duo grew. So did Bucket, who, within a year, towered over Colton. To compensate for the size difference, Bucket started kneeling down to play so they’d be eye level. It is such a beautiful friendship , Susan marveled. And an idea took hold in her heart.

Susan has had a lifelong passion for helping animals, and after saving Bucket and seeing how happy he was, she found herself wanting to rescue even more animals.

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Acres of joy

In May 2018, Susan bought a 31-acre property in rural Brodnax, Virginia, and transformed it into an animal rescue she called Little Buckets Farm Sanctuary ( LittleBucketsFarmSanctuary.org ), after her favorite cow.

Now some 50 animals, including goats, donkeys, cows, dogs, cats, a pig and several guinea hens, all rescued by Susan, live in harmony on the farm. Colton — whose nickname is the animal whisperer — has welcomed each new addition just as she did Bucket with her gentle, caring nature.

There is Tater and Tot, twin 4-year-old male goats with neurological and vision problems. Pisa, another goat, was born with neurological issues that cause her to fall down whenever she tries to walk. Susan bought a cart to help Pisa get around.

This May, Susan brought home another goat to add to her growing animal family, Lucca, a rescued baby born with no front legs. For now, Lucca lives in the main house, as have all new additions so Susan can shower them with extra loving care.

Bucket’s close circle of friends has also grown and now includes three other cows to pal around with. “The sweetest boys that you can imagine,” Susan says. “They just want to love and be loved and play and take their naps, the same as what dogs do in a house, they just do it in a field.”

These days, Susan, 53, shares tales of life at the sanctuary on social media ( @littlebucketsfarmsanctuary ) and offers in-person tours, where visitors get to witness all the animals’ vibrant personalities and the unique, wonderful bond between Colton and Bucket.

“Both Colton and Bucket have the same warm, nurturing personalities,” says Susan. “The friendship between the two of them is really beautiful and brings me such joy — and thanks to them, so many other animals are getting a second chance at love too.”

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