Cotton the lamb was raised by a 4-H student who simply couldn’t bear the thought of his beloved pet being auctioned off at the fair and slaughtered.
In a desperate cry for help, the boy reached out to legendary songwriter Diane Warren and begged her to save the lamb’s life. Meanwhile, 4-H pressured the boy’s parents to continue with plans to sell the lamb.
In response, animal rights group PETA protested the fair on behalf of Cotton and other animals facing the same fate. However, Cotton’s future continued to look grim as the day went on.
Unbeknownst to fairgoers and protesters alike, Warren had secretly outbid all of the butchers that were interested in buying Cotton. He was then relocated to Warren’s animal sanctuary, where he’s made friends with other lambs who were rescued from 4-H programs.
Thanks to the heroic efforts of one brave boy and the compassionate songwriter who stepped in at the last minute, Cotton will spend the rest of his life in the safety of the sanctuary’s caretakers, and the boy who raised him is welcome to visit anytime.
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Susanne – absolutely agree with you. How is this any different to taking a pet dog or cat to be slaughtered. Barbaric!
Diane Warren you are a hero!!
Bravo! Well done!
Great job Diane!
Way to go the both of you… thank you Ms Warren and Cotton’s owner for saving this little lamb. 4H needs to reevaluate it’s mandate because not every child is the same… each child should be given the option of what it is they want to do for their animal at the end of the season. It’s an antiquated club… get with the program 4H… and I speak from experience!!!
I didn’t know the 4H Club was so vile until I started reading up on this. Shame on the 4H Club. Show compassion for animals.
You are an angel Diane.
I am happy for this boy and thankful. People should praise the boy for being compassionate about animals. It shows that he has a heart and will not go on to torture animals when he gets older like older children that are taught that it is okay to torture an animal rather than do humane food animal care when they do go to slaughter!! I have seen pictures of what inhumane things are done on camera by humans to animals going in for slaughter. God made animals for us to use but to use and be humane!!
What kind of ‘education’ is that ??? Kids learn to raise and love an animal only to have to give it up so it can be auctioned to be slaughtered?!? This is heartbreaking! If you want the kids hearts turn cold and indifferent toward animals this might be a great way to achieve that. If you want them to learn compassion and moral standarts this is a total mistake! You are brutalizing these kids !
Merci à tous ces gens sensibles, intelligents et courageux!!!
What the hell is wrong with the 4-H Program putting kids through the trauma of raising an animal then selling it to be slaughtered. Absolutely appalling. So happy Cotton was saved.
That’s exactly what I’m thinking! How heartless is this? I know the 4H Club supposedly does a lot of good things but this practice needs to stop now!
Horrible I’m 65years old and didn’t know the 4H does this to animals raised lovingly by children— no wonder some children have mental problems or issues in life!
Thank you for saving Cotton.
Thus practice must be stopped killing is never good but traumatic especially after lovingly raising an animal!
I will never forget our neighbor who had two little boys. One little boy named Michael got a steer and raised him from a calf. He brushed him every day and spent hours grooming and caring for the calf who grew in to a fine fat steer. When county fair time came, Michael brought his steer to the 4H barn and showed him. He won first prize, but then I saw Michael sitting on the corral fence at the fair crying his eyes out and I asked him what was wrong and his father said he didn’t want to sell his steer. He thought he could keep it. His father was not an animal lover and had no sympathy for Michael or the steer. I hate 4H. I have hated them for 27 years. They are disgusting and have no sympathy for any of the animals. Can you imagine what the poor steer felt as he was led away from his human and was thrown into a cattle truck carrying him far away. I hate 4H. I sincerely hope that 4 H will become a thing of the past soon and that people will stop supporting it. They teach children to have no empathy for animals, not only steers and sheep and pigs and goats, but rabbits and guinea pigs. There was a stupid kid at the fair several years ago who had a guinea pig who I guess didn’t win a prize and the stupid person put the guinea pig cage and all into the trash can at the fair. Thank goodness the poor little thing was rescued. I hate 4H and I will always hate 4H. I have cried myself about the rabbits who are auctioned off to any Tom, DIck and Harry who has the money to buy them. They don’t care that these buyers don’t know a darn thing about rabbits. They are just evil to animals.and I hate them and wish they would go out of business.
Now that I am an adult and know what happens to the beautiful animals that are raised by the 4-H kids, I can’t bring myself to go to the animal barns at the county fairs. I simply love animals too much to consider that part of the process. Bravo for the animal sanctuaries that make it possible for the animals to live on. Many happy years to you, Cotton! 🙂
You know, it’s difficult to read the words if I’m crying…
Thank you for saving Cotton and the heart of this wonderful empathetic young man. Many happy years Cotton!!! ♡♡♡
Fantastic rescue Diane! Bravo 4-Her.