Dairy Cow: Friend or Foe?

The animallackofluenza has progressed. Yesterday while I was running, a black cat crossed the road in front of me. Overwhelmed by my symptoms, I reacted contrary to what most people would. Instead of screaming and running the other way, I called the cat who turned around and sauntered back to me. I was so blinded by my need for animals that I was willing to expose myself to possible rabies to pet a feral cat. (Note: Do not try this at home, rabies can be fatal) Risk-taking to pet animals is a common sign that one might be afflicted with animallackofluenza.

To mitigate this debilitating disease, I would like to introduce you to one of my favorite animals....a dairy cow! This morning I had the distinct pleasure of meeting with 23 of these wonderful gals. These "gentle" giants can reach 2000 pounds! I say "gentle" because cows actually kill five times more people than sharks per year (1).  Don't let that scare you away though, because they are lovely animals.

Through the Animal Reproduction Research Team, I spend my Thursday mornings hanging out with the girls. We enjoy walking through the pasture, basking in the sun, and causing trouble. Somedays we just sit and watch the sunrise, and others we run around in circles. Mornings with my ladies are the best part of the week. Quick Fact: It is to note that they are all girls. Dairy cows are all female because they produce milk. That means that from birth, dairy cows live everyday of their life with other girls, just like an all-girls school. (Sounds kind of like a horror movie!) Bulls are the guy version of cows, but they are scary, so us ladies like to stay away from them.

United at last! #bffs

Many life lessons can be learned from these wonderful creatures. Cows are extremely social animals and form friendships and enemies within the herd. Their love for their friends is admirable and a cow is willing to break down any barrier to be with her best friend.  Last Thursday, they were fed up with being separated into groups of about 25, so they decided to break the gate open. To my surprise, all 100 cows were frolicking together when I arrived at 7 am. Best friends were reunited and happiness hung in the air. A metal gate can not stop true love.  In fact, barriers are only arbitrary.



Meet Betsy! My new best friend. She enjoys laying down all day and eating grass. Her skills include milking and looking cute in every situation. In the future, she plans on watching the sunrise and finding fresh grass. Betsy is best known for her spunky attitude and overall love of life

The docile, loving nature of cows is something that I can't get enough of. Who knows, maybe this is the start of my animallackofluenza recovery. Thanks for reading! Let me know if you too are still suffering from animallackofluenza. Also, let me know if you love cows! Til' next week!