Although a new addition to Loveland’s attractions, Lucky Blu Ranch is already capturing the hearts of Northern Colorado residents with mini cows and donkeys, all while fulfilling a family’s newfound dream.
Founded just a few years ago by A.J. and Janelle Heiser, , located at 6239 W. US 34 in Loveland, has quickly grown into a destination to visit for residents across Colorado and beyond who want to spend time feeding and cuddling the herd of mini Highland cows and hearing the bray of mini Wooly donkeys.
“The sky is the limit with these guys,” A.J. Heiser said. “These guys love people, so that makes it easy.”
Lucky Blu Ranch’s Highland Hello Experience & Mercantile is located on the property that used to be , a Loveland landmark of .
“Itap fun to have that history with the building and the people who come through and share stories,” A.J. Heiser said.
During visiting hours, guests can feed the mini moos cookies and hay cubes, pet them, and brush their furry coats, but during private visits, guests can cuddle, hug and get a one-on-one experience.
“If you had asked me 10 years ago, I would have not told you that I was letting people pet my cows,” A.J. Heiser said with a laugh. “Itap kind of funny how everything falls together.”
He said he could have never imagined visitors to be so moved by the cows or for the ranch to gain popularity on TikTok via multiple viral videos the way it has over the last year.
“Itap been a blessing, but there’s also been challenges trying to figure out how to scale something,” A.J. Heiser said.
The ranch began in 2022 as a desire for more space for their two boys to play, driven by their love for baseball, dirt bikes and all things messy, A.J. Heiser said. The family started with a ranch by Carter Lake and a full size Scottish Highland bull named Sammy, thinking they would raise cattle for meat purposes.
“Even being a big massive animal, he was still a sweetheart,” A.J. Heiser said about the bull, adding that their cows require so much attention that they began to feel like pets.
The family took some time to reevaluate the ranch’s purpose and do research on raising smaller Highlands, which could be kept as pets. In early 2022, the family started buying their own babies to raise and added donkeys shortly after, A.J. Heiser said.
“And then somebody said, ‘Hey! Can you bring one of these to my kid’s birthday party?’” A.J. Heiser said. “And then it was just like, ‘Oh man, maybe there’s something here that people can actually enjoy.’”
Like dog therapy, horse therapy, and the various other ways animal-assisted therapy helps humans, A.J. Heiser said he thought, “Why not cows?”
“We get a lot of people with disabilities, in wheelchairs, memory care, first responders, veterans, people with PTSD, everything you can think of,” A.J. Heiser said. “ … We have some people that come and this is their weekly release.”
At the Highland Hello Experience & Mercantile, which they expanded the ranch to in late 2024, visitors can also buy local and handcrafted goods, many of which are cow themed, as well as various pork products directly from the ranch (larger pork cuts have to be ordered, ).
A.J. Heiser said that he is looking forward to hosting events at Lucky Blu Ranch in the future, but in the meantime, people are welcome to reach out about bringing a mini moo to their next party and should check their website for pricing and up-to-date visiting hours, .
“On the days that are tough, we remind ourselves that we are living someone else’s dream,” A.J. Heiser said.
