Fast Friends
I swear, we weren’t doing anything, Mom!
These two, thick as thieves, frick and frack, friends look innocent enough in the photo but I am sure that they were up to no good. You will never find one without the other, that I can promise you.
Not many people know this but herds have cliques. No, two cows do not make a herd but often you will find the same cows within a herd traveling and spending time together. We have a large herd across the street and I always find the same cows together in the same places and usually around the same time of day. I can open the RV door in the morning and pretty much predict which cows I’ll find munching their breakfast on the closest hill. When one of them decides to make a move, the others are quick to follow.
When Agnes arrived, she jumped off the truck and looked about as panicked as a cow could be. Elizabeth was pretty curious about what was going on. Just a few weeks before she found herself in a hauler and she didn’t seem to be too eager for another ride. I was hoping to spend a few minutes with our new girl but as the hauler was pulling away and I was locking the gate, she ran away. I walked in the direction that she ran and found her in the, and I’m not exaggerating, farthest corner of the pasture barricaded by bushes, trees and thorns. I called Elizabeth who was standing a few feet away from this new, and at the time unnamed, Angus calf and told her to follow me. I led them back to mid-pasture and thought that they’d follow me back to the house side of the property where Elizabeth had been sleeping at night.
Agnes took off running again and Elizabeth and I followed. I found her again at the far corner looking for an escape. I hated for her to be out there alone in a new place alone in the cold. It was quite late when she arrived and darkness was creeping in. I figured that I’d just let them be and that in time she would follow Elizabeth back up to the front. It took a few days and to Elizabeth’s credit, she stayed with that calf the entire time.
Agnes changed my relationship with Elizabeth in every way. That heifer doesn’t listen to me anymore, she doesn’t come when I call her and she doesn’t lay down with me after dinner to listen to music. In a way, it makes me very sad but then I remember why we are doing this, we want to give as many cows as we can a better life. Elizabeth could not be the ONLY cow at a rescue farm. Could she? Could I seriously keep her 100% to myself?
In the end, I am glad that Agnes is here and I’m happy that they have each other. Agnes has warmed up to me quite a bit but I know that we will never have the relationship that I do with E. In fact, E won’t allow it. Agnes can only get soooooo close before Elizabeth rears her jealous head and puts her in her place. Every once in a while when E isn’t looking, we exchange a few neck rubs and kisses.
Agnes taught me a lesson and I quickly realized that not every cow who comes here will do what I want them to do. I was teasing a bit ago but for the most part, Elizabeth will do what I ask her to do. Agnes does what she wants. There will be cows who arrive here neglected, abused, injured, scared, afraid and some of them will have zero trust in humans. They won’t know me from Adam and that made me think about everything differently. Elizabeth was easy. Agnes not as easy and one day, I will have a cow arrive who is everything but easy. How will I manage a 1,500 lb cow with an attitude?
Stay tuned to find out!