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"Pull
over!" said Dick.
The south
gate was new. It had a cattle guard but no cattle gate beside it. Dick
turned the frightened cow back to the north.
"Call
Larry!" he shouted to his wife in the truck.
Larry’s
wife took the call. Within five minutes Larry had appeared and stationed
himself by the north gate to turn the heifer. She was smart enough or
scared enough to stay off the highway but she became unreasonable. Larry
knew her well. She would actually eat feed out of his hand. He was
surprised by her rowdy behavior.
It is a
common flaw in cowmen. They form opinions about specific animals. They
come to trust them. I’ve seen grown men (like me) put two year old kids
on the back of tame Brahma bulls. But cows can revert to their primitive
behavioral origins. I don’t mean baby calf, I mean buffalo, mastodon,
Tyrannosaurus holstein! It is a scientific phenomenon called "getting
on the fight!"
Some
external stimulus or internal metabolic reaction can change a gentle
herbivore into a maddened beast. We see this in other species; rabid dogs,
a locoed horse or a 4-H parent whose child’s pig didn’t win grand
champion!
Anyway,
Larry stood his ground, a few feet beyond the gate. She was running full
speed. He spoke to her, actually held out his hand as she approached him
at the speed of beef! In his mind, despite the obvious, he must have
thought she would remember their relationship and settle down.
Dick said
she hit Larry full frontal right in the chest. He went backwards like she’d
pushed him off a cliff. She stood above him between his legs, looking down
at his face. Maybe she recognized him, who knows.
About that
time Dick spooked her and she ran right through the fence. Larry lay there
flat.
"Can
you get up?" asked Dick.
"I tried to,"
said Larry, "but the ref was just counting four. I decided to wait
for the eight count."
Baxter Black is a former large animal veterinarian who can be followed nationwide through this column, National Public Radio, public appearances, television and also through his books,
cds, videos and website,
www.baxter
black.com.
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