Some of our friends keep a milk cow so that they can provide fresh milk to the community. Our other source of milk is milk powder. Today as I left the house I saw his cow walking down the road. I was on my ATV, and knowing that the man of the house is currently out of country, I decided to try and rustle the cow back into his paddock. I got in front of her, with my ATV and laid on the horn which stopped her dead in her tracks but she wouldn't turn around. What followed was a fun little scene where I'm chasing this cow beeping while the neighbors are watching this surreal event unfold.
I had no rope. I had no real plan other than to get her back to the paddock. She had a plan, but I thought she was just wandering free. At one point I had rustled her into a corner so she leaped over the ditch, and landed in a garden. Suddenly I saw pictures of people demanding compensation of me as I caused a cow to damage and eat their garden.
I gave it one last try, and got in front of her, stared her down, laid on the horn, and she juked me and started kicking up a storm. I decided to let her go and alert the owners.
I found out that whenever she goes into heat, she escapes and runs down the road to where the bull lives. The story has a sad ending though because though they've been trying to mate her for a long time, the bull seems to have chosen a life of celibacy.
Oh well, next time I'll have to bring along a rope.
