Red Cloud and the bonding experience

Over the years we have accumulated alot of stories about Randy and his relationship with what should have been the source of our meals. Few animals have ever made it to the dinner plate though. We've had ducks, turkeys, chickens and have never eaten one of them. Oh they usually wind up dinner alright, for the occasional coyote, dog, ours and the neighbors, and even a racoon one year, but not mine. Our 1st pig "Dino" which is a horror story for another time, (maybe a Steven Spielburg movie someday}did make it to the freezer, but Randy refused to eat it and I had to sneak it into meals over the next year.
2 more pigs, cant remember their names although I'm sure Randy can, were hauled off to the butcher. Yes we take them to the butcher now. I happily do so after the Dino" experience. There was the wild pig, but Randy shot the S.O.B. and we fed it to the dogs and coyotes ourselves.
But now we have "RED CLOUD" Randy has been wanting to raise a calf for quite a few years. Dane Lambson happened to mention he had a couple of big calves he was going to sell so I told him we were interested. Dane had brought him from the fields and he was in a horse trailer. Randy and I discussed back and forth wether or not we should buy him, I was in favor but Randy wasn't sure it was the right time, money tight, not a good stall etc. but the deal was sealed when Randy peered into those big warm brown eyes. He said OK lets do it. On the way back to the house Randy tells me that while he was looking in the calfs eyes they BONDED!! Sounds like a sweet touching moment doesn't it? And to make matters worse he announces that his name would be "Red Cloud". "No, no , no" I started shaking my head. "you dont have enough Cherokee or any other Indian blood to name an animal that." I was thinking his name should be "Prime Rib" or "Chuck" or maybe "T-Bone" and I yelled "no bonding allowed, you may NOT bond with my food. "
He had this horrible hurt look on his face and I did feel kind of bad. I told him that we were going to stand this Red, brown eyed calf in a corral for a month or so, fatten him up and haul him to the buthcer so he better get his head wrapped around it. I can handle feeding the stupid worthless duck that poops all over and harrasses my chickens, and even tries to mate them occasionally. (Thats a really sad pathetic sight). but I am not going to feed a calf and keep it as a pet. I asked him what happened to his plans to raise our own beef, so we could have good healthy beef? He said he still wanted to some day, but not this one. He just wanted to walk around with this one and feed and enjoy him.
To answer the obvious question on your mind - yes he does have a dog, two in fact and he walks around with them and feeds them.
This story is still to be continued as "Red Cloud" is still alive. I may have to sneak him out at night and take him to the butcher myself. Mary even told him she heard "Red Cloud" tasted pretty good with A-1 sauce. He didn't think it was funny.
And you thought bonding was a precious thing.