20-05-2025
Owners feared thief stole mini calf from Pierce County farm. There's an update
A fluffy Mother's Day gift went missing in Gig Harbor over the weekend, worrying her family and setting off an extensive search.
Daisy May, a four-month-old mini Highland calf, was reported missing from a family farm near Gig Harbor on Saturday. Brittney Schuler, Daisy May's owner, told The News Tribune on the phone Monday that the calf — who stands two feet tall, has reddish hair and weighs 100 pounds — was a recent Mother's Day gift for her mother, Shawn. They brought her home from a private sale to their 60-acre Artondale farm on May 10, she added, where her mother was thrilled to meet the new addition to the family.
'She was just really sweet … she looked like she wanted to be loved and have a forever home,' Schuler said.
The little calf is home safe again after a neighbor spotted her, the family told The News Tribune Monday night, but questions remain about her disappearance.
The first week with Daisy May had been off to a good start, with the miniature cow beginning to acclimate to the new environment and her new family, Schuler said. Although she remains fearful of humans, Daisy May had expressed an interest in other four-legged animals, including cats and dogs, she added.
Daisy May — named after the month in which she was adopted — was being kept in a paddock with white vinyl fencing near Schuler's own residence on the farm, where she could be protected from nighttime coyotes by a nearby miniature donkey named Jack Jack. She was also paddock neighbors with a miniature horse named Peaches. The last time the calf had been seen was around 9:40 a.m. on Saturday before Schuler returned home that afternoon and found Daisy May missing, she said.
Around 2 p.m. on Saturday, Schuler reported her missing to local authorities in Gig Harbor and Pierce County, and on Sunday afternoon, she filed a formal report.
Deputy Carly Cappetto of the Pierce County Sheriff's Department told The News Tribune on Monday the case could not be assigned to an investigator because there was still no evidence of a crime.
'Now, it's very likely someone could have stolen the cow, but with no evidential leads, like someone reporting a suspicious car in the area, or a cut in the fence line, or seeing a car drive by 10 times in the same day, we have nothing — we're at a dead end,' Cappetto said.
She added the Sunday report said the calf was confirmed missing at noon on Saturday. The report stated about 15 people had searched for nearly ten hours and that they hired a thermal signature drone that searched more than a mile radius for five hours, all without success, she said.
'If more information comes out, we're ready to pursue this case, but we're kind of in a holding pattern right now,' Cappetto said.
Although the family initially hoped to find her somewhere on the farm grounds, hours of searches by driving the trails and perimeter of the farm and by the pet-search nonprofit Seek and Rescue's thermal signature-seeking drone yielded no results on Saturday afternoon and evening, according to the family. They continued to put up posters and Facebook posts to try to find the calf, Schuler added.
After the drone — which was able to spot many other animals during its five-hour search and had previously had success with smaller pets such as chihuahuas — Schuler said she grew more concerned and began to think that Daisy May might have been stolen.
'She does have red fur and blends in with dry grass, she might look like a deer or like a dog,' Schuler said Monday. 'If someone does happen to see her, don't approach her because she might run off — we do have people ready to help catch her if needed and we want to keep her in the area of the sighting.'
Although there is a possibility that the calf escaped, it seems unlikely as she hasn't been spotted and there were no signs of distress or damage to her enclosure, Schuler said. She added that Daisy May had sometimes not enjoyed the company of the miniature donkey and tried to breach the fence, but had always been unsuccessful.
'We were hopeful she would still be on the property, since it's very big, but once we couldn't find her, we thought she wouldn't have gotten that far,' Schuler said Monday. 'With everyone helping, it's crazy no one has seen signs — it's not common to see a cow running amuck.'
Then, just as there seemed to be no leads and Schuler grew worried the calf could have been taken to another county, she got a call on Monday afternoon that a neighbor had seen Daisy May on a nearby street while driving past, she told The News Tribune on the phone Tuesday.
Schuler and her neighbors rushed out to look, banding together to chase the calf — who had darted into the woods — until one friend was able to tackle her, she said. Within 15 minutes of the call, Daisy May was caught; they carried her back to Schuler's farm, where a barn will be her new home.
'I was completely shocked to get the call, I didn't think it was true. We're excited she's home, healthy and safe .... I'm pretty sure my mother slept with her in the barn last night,' she said, chuckling.
She said Daisy May seemed tired but overall in good health, although the circumstances of her return feel suspicious. If someone did drop her on the street, they made sure to do it away from any cameras, she said. Still, there is no evidence to confirm she was taken, Schuler added.
'We still believe she was stolen because her fur was dry even though it was raining all weekend, and there was no brush in her fur even though she likely would have been in the woods,' Schuler said. 'It's suspicious that suddenly, she's right down the street despite our search parties and even a drone search.'
Schuler said she is grateful to those who helped spread the word and search the area. Daisy May will now be under video surveillance and lock and key in the barn, she said, adding that those measures will also double as coyote protection now that the calf won't be with her miniature donkey neighbor.
Cappetto said anyone with information or tips can contact the Pierce County Sheriff's Office non-emergency number at 253-287-4455.
