“It feels like losing a family member”: Animal owner speaks about emotional bond ahead of Eid-ul-Adha

A livestock owner has opened up about the emotional connection his family shares with their sacrificial animals, saying the bond becomes so strong that performing the sacrifice during Eid-ul-Adha often brings the entire household to tears.

Speaking about one of his favourite goats, named “Sheru”, the owner told Dialogue Pakistan that the animal was brought home from Punjab when it was only a few months old and has now grown to around one-and-a-half years old.

“He loves us just as much as we love him,” the owner said, adding that Sheru had become the most beloved among all the animals in the house due to its affectionate nature.

Recalling a past experience, he revealed that he once delayed the sacrifice of a goat for an entire year because of the attachment he had developed with it.

“A few days before Eid, the goat came close to me and cried while clinging to me. I could not go through with the sacrifice that year,” he said emotionally.

The owner explained that most of the goats and livestock at his home are from his own breeding stock, while only a few were purchased from Punjab, including Faisalabadi-breed calves raised specifically for Eid sacrifice.

He introduced several animals by name, including “Lalu”, “Kalu”, “Chunnu”, “Chunni” and “Ramzan”, many of which were named by children in the family based on their colour, personality or birth month.

According to him, goats often develop a stronger emotional connection with families because they are raised at home from birth and require regular handling, feeding and care.

He said he personally feeds Sheru with his own hands and does not consider it hard work, insisting that caring for animals becomes effortless when it is driven by passion.

“If someone has no interest in animals, it may seem difficult. But for us, spending half an hour with them twice a day is nothing,” he said.

The owner also shared details about the animals’ diet, which includes fruit, yoghurt, mustard oil, butter and seasonal feed supplements to maintain their health throughout the year.

Reflecting on Eid-ul-Adha, he admitted that witnessing the sacrifice of animals raised with love and affection is emotionally painful for the entire family.

“When the time for sacrifice comes, it becomes difficult even to stand there and watch,” he said. “Children cry, elders cry — the whole house becomes emotional.”

He urged people to keep sacrificial animals with them for at least a few weeks before Eid in order to develop a genuine connection and better understand the true spirit of sacrifice.

“Bringing an animal home on Chand Raat and sacrificing it the next morning is merely a financial obligation,” he said. “The real sacrifice is when you raise the animal with love and still offer it for the sake of Allah.”