Mini Highland cows helped local woman cope with losing her dad and dealing with illness
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SHELLEY — Mini Highland cows became a way for resident Shantell Goodenough to heal and find peace during some of her toughest life challenges. Now, the comfort of her cows is reaching beyond just her, spreading positivity and helping others.
Goodenough started a business last year, called Posh Mini Farm, with her mini Highland cows in Shelley. She has four of them and three mini goats.
The miniature Highland cow is a small breed of cattle. They tend to be docile, calm, gentle, easygoing, and affectionate, according to Rolling 7 Ranch Co. online.
She created Cuddle and Feeds. It offers a one-of-a-kind experience.
“People get to go right in with the cows in their pen. They get to cuddle them, they get to feed them, and they get to brush them. They can take their phones in and take pictures and videos of them,” she said. “I train them to be so gentle.”
She also has Lunch with the Highlands, where people can come, sit down, and have lunch. The cows roam around you, and you can feed them while you are eating as well.
Goodenough said she has had people with disabilities or dealing with illnesses come to the farm to visit the cows. The animals have provided a sense of ease and comfort.
The mini cows have been part of special events like weddings, birthday parties, and even visits to homes for the elderly.
“That has been a big hit. That’s probably one of my favorite things, just to see the people light up is unbelievable,” she said about visiting the elderly.
How the mini Highlands came into her life
Goodenough grew up in Shelley. She is married and has three children: two twin 14-year-old girls and one 10-year-old boy.
She has faced some difficult trials over the past few years. She was diagnosed with lupus in 2023 at age 35.
Lupus is an autoimmune disease that “makes your immune system damage organs and tissue throughout your body. It causes inflammation that can affect your skin, joints, blood and organs like your kidneys, lungs and heart,” according to the Cleveland Clinic.
She additionally has three other autoimmune diseases on top of it.
“Body pain is kind of one of the really bad things I get, along with exhaustion. There’s the tiredness that comes with lupus that is hard to explain to anybody. You can honestly be tired all day and sleep all day,” Goodenough said.
She was looking for something that would let her go outside and make a connection. She researched mini Highland cows and saw how they could help improve mental health through companionship, and they are good with children.
Goodenough thought about getting a mini Highland cow. It was an idea she tossed around, and eventually, she got one. That’s Zara. She said Zara’s mother was struck by lightning, and she was left without a mom. Goodenough got her when she was six months old. Now, Zara is 2.
She ended up adding three more to the mix, including Burrow, the only boy who is 1; Pearl, who is 2 months old and completely blind; and Blakelee, who is 9 months old and named after her father.
“My dad and I were very, very close. He has supported me in everything that I’ve ever wanted or done,” she said. “He loved the idea of me getting into these cows. He actually had racehorses when I was growing up. When I started getting these cows, he was super excited.”
Her father’s name was Blake Johnson, and he passed away last year in May at age 79. He had kidney failure and cancer. His obituary reads, “Blake was the proud father of six children, all of whom carry his humor, kindness, and strong will forward in their own lives.” He was Goodenough’s hero.
“That is something we kind of resonated with. I got (diagnosed with) my autoimmune disease, and he was so sick as well. He really, really struggled. I feel like that just almost made us closer, because I felt like we struggled together,” she said.
Her business
She didn’t intend to start a business. It was just kind of a fluke, she said. She got the mini Highland cows for herself, but people found out about them and asked to come see them.
“It just kind of happened. And that’s kind of where I feel like my dad had a whole part of it, because that’s not at all what I was looking to do with these guys, but now seeing what they’ve done for other people is why I’m continuing it,” she said.
A first-time Easter event called Cuddles and Cows that happened at Rigby Lake Memory Care recently showed proof that people wanted to see Goodenough’s mini Highland cows.
Families from across east Idaho — and even from out-of-state — came to see them, and there were lines upon lines of people. By the end of the event, organizers figured anywhere between 2,000 and 3,000 people were waiting to touch the cows and take pictures with them.
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Goodenough said the cows have a calming effect and it’s like therapy. People just want to hug them.
“I’m like, holy cow! Never in my wildest dreams did I think that getting a cow would help other people,” she said.
What started as a way of learning to live with lupus and coping with the loss of her dad became something so much bigger for Goodenough.
The future and sessions
Goodenough has big plans for the future and hopes to expand her business. She wants to build a barn. During the harsh winters, she would like to do activities inside the barn with the mini Highland cows.
She wants to start crafting once a week with women and have the cows walk around.
“They are very sweet, they are kind. It’s just something that I love to let other people feel,” she said.
Cuddle and Feed sessions are 30 minutes long and cost $25 per person. However, if there is a family or more than one person, the base price is $30, and then it’s $10 per person. Sessions need to be booked in advance, and Goodenough will provide the session location then.
If you are interested in scheduling a Cuddle and Feed session or want to learn more about the mini Highland cows and events, contact Goodenough through Instagram here or by calling: 208-390-8527.
“I never dreamed of this, but I love it,” Goodenough said.
