I had a friend who bought a calf one time. Its name was T-bone.
Our kids never needed those little tricks, having grown up seeing butchering from infancy. And while dogs, horses, and some cats were pets, dairy cows weren't... normally. But we couldn't help but have favorites, especially a couple fancy show cows.
One of them was a gorgeous 2 year old, named Miss Nellie in honor of her elderly breeder. She'd won everything as a calf and bred heifer, calved out easily, milked *very* well, won her classes again that summer... and could never get pregnant again. We tried everything... several vets, as well as leading her 3/8 of a mile to (and from) a neighbor's proven bull seven times. When we finally gave up, she was just 3 years old, fat as butter, and would come when we called. A 58 inch tall puppy dog.
She was delicious. Until one of the kids piped up, "Mom, is this Miss Nellie?". Sigh, yes. Can we just not talk about it?
Summerthyme