Do they know they are cows?

This past month we were contacted by a family that needed to rehome two cows quickly because they needed to relocate for a job. These two British White cows, Penny and Maggie, are 1 year and 6 months old respectively and were rescued from slaughter and raised as pets. Yes, pet cows! And that is exactly the way they behave, they come when called, run around with the other pasture animals and love to be pet. I have seen lots of cows in pastures in my life, as most of us have, but those cows were being exploited either for their milk, meat or skin and have short, unjoyful lives. I have never seen cows running and playing in those pastures, their heads are usually hung low and when they move it is with a shuffle that is indicative of their misery. These two wonderful souls who are now a part of Butterfly Field Farm have shown me what a happy cow can look like as their personalities are incredibly like our other pets. Maggie loves to moo, and it is such a beautiful sound, one of happiness and not of the pain of having her newborn calf taken from her so her milk can be sold to humans. Her moo is saying, “hey let’s play” or “hey, I’m hungry, where is dinner?”. And Penny is always the first to come running when she sees us preparing their meal. Watching them eat is also heartwarming because they love to ‘roughhouse’ and push each other away from the other’s grain feeder. It is so funny to watch them behave like little kids trying to get under the skin of the other. I honestly do not know if they realize they are cows! They truly behave like our dogs and cats. I defy anyone to spend some time with Penny and Maggie and at least think twice about seeing cows as just a food source. These two will not change the world but maybe, they may open a mind.