11/08/2026
We bring you the saddest of updates 💔
Yesterday, we said goodbye to Murdock.
If you’ve been following Asher’s for many years, you may remember Murdock and Luna arriving here together at just a couple of weeks old. They came from an abhorrent situation where calves were kept individually in tiny crates, with no mothers in sight, surrounded by flies and fed formula from dirty bottles and buckets. They had never known grass beneath their feet, the comfort of their mothers or even the freedom to properly move around.
Murdock was the weakest of the calves. He had bloody stool and was so unwell that it wasn’t clear whether he was going to survive. His rescuers chose him because they wanted to give him a chance, even if that chance was simply to know the warmth and safety of a stable, good food and the companionship of another calf.
That other calf was Luna, and they have been together ever since.
Some of you will remember signing up for babysitting sessions when they first arrived, helping to feed them and keep them company. Some of you may have been there when they finally came out of quarantine and were able to run for the first time in their lives. We will never forget the joy of watching them experience that freedom. For animals who had spent the beginning of their lives confined to a space barely big enough to turn around in, watching them run was something incredibly special.
We could never have known then that Murdock would go on to have seven years with us.
Seven years in which his life was completely different from the one he was born into. He had the very best food, veterinary care whenever he needed it, sunshine, space, a herd around him, and the same friend he arrived with still by his side. He was safe, he was cared for, and he was deeply loved.
Just a couple of weeks ago, we noticed something was wrong with Murdock’s eye. After consulting with our veterinary team and investigating further, it became clear that the eye needed to be removed. At that stage, we did not yet know how aggressive or advanced the cancer was. We were waiting for the test results and, in the meantime, had started a treatment regime to try to slow the progression in any way we could.
The results confirmed bovine leukaemia virus and unfortunately, the news was far worse than we had hoped. The cancer had spread incredibly aggressively to his remaining eye. We are completely certain that Murdock was already blind in his remaining eye and that he was experiencing discomfort, and quite possibly pain.
This is a hard disease, and there was nothing more we could do to give Murdock the quality of life he deserved.
So yesterday, we made the decision to let him go.
This is one of the hardest parts of caring for animals. We (humans) can sometimes be selfish without meaning to be. We want more time because we aren’t ready to say goodbye. We want to hold on for another day, another week, another little bit of time with them because the thought of losing them is unbearable.
But that isn’t always what is best for them.
There is courage in making a decision that breaks your own heart because you know it is the kindest thing you can do for someone who cannot make that decision for themselves. There is mercy in choosing to let them go before their suffering becomes greater than their quality of life.
Yesterday morning, the whole barn felt sombre. We know our animals well, and when they are stressed or concerned, they bellow, they pace, they run and they become unsettled. But yesterday there was none of that. Everything was still. There was a sense of peace throughout the barn and Luna stayed by Murdock’s side all day.
We have always promised that every animal who finds sanctuary at Asher’s will be given the best quality of life we can possibly provide while they are in our care. That means the best food, the best veterinary care, comfort, companionship, enrichment and everything else they need, regardless of the cost or complexity. It also means being prepared to make the difficult decisions when their quality of life is no longer what it should be.
Murdock’s life could so easily have been very different. The life he was born into was never going to give him much of a future, and had he remained there, that future would have been short and suffering was certain.
Instead, he had seven years of the life every animal should have, space to move, sunshine, good food, veterinary care, companionship, safety and love.
He got to run. He got to live outside. He got to be part of a herd. He had Luna beside him. He had people who knew him, cared about him and loved him.
Some of you met him on tours. Some of you watched him grow. Some of you fed him when he was only weeks old. Some of you have followed his story from afar.
And although we are devastated that his life has now come to an end, we are also incredibly grateful that he was given seven years of the care, freedom, companionship and love that should have been his from the very beginning. We feel deeply honoured that we were entrusted with his care and that we were given the privilege of being part of Murdock’s life for those seven years. Caring for an animal is a stewardship we never take lightly, and it has been an honour to have been entrusted with his.
He lived a good life. A very good life.
He was a gentle boy, and he will be immeasurably missed.
We love you, big boy ❤️ Thank you for 7 wonderful years
