lot's of people have told me that cows are stupid...cow people have told me that cows are dumb as bricks.
jeanette ain't no dummy.
the foot trimmer fellow came today on my lunch break. jeanette perked up and intently watched the second that black shiny truck with its black shiny trailer thing pulled into the barns parking lot. the only other time i have seen her quite so interested in anything is meal time. she has never seen that truck and trailer before, this is a new foot trimmer and this is the first time we have trimmed her feet at saints.
i am telling you without the least bit of doubt, she knew EXACTLY who just arrived. i thought i would just put on her halter and hold the rope while she nicely stood there and had her feet trimmed. i did not expect a NASA robotics trailer thing for confining lifting and positioning cows legs...but jeanette did. and jeanette is no fool. she will let me halter and lead her around when it is no skin off her nose...but when it comes to cooperating to enter the cow torture trailer...no way man.
she walked away from me and when i followed and tried to put on her halter, she tossed her head around so it was like trying to halter a wild hippo. eventually i won and eventually she ended up in the torture machine which really was quick, kind and gentle even tho she did not agree. i wiped a few of her tears away but it was done in a very few minutes and now she has nicely trimmed and even feet which is better for her walking around.
percy was a bit of a bugger, firstly he objected to his favorite adoptive cow mom on the other side of the gate. but mostly he objected to this very fine and interesting large motorized and robotic machinery, just out of his fascinated reach.
other saints bits....ellie's legs are very bad tonight. pugsy did well with her surgery and should be home tomorrow. the poodles are frantic for some extra attention and the americats are pissed cuz i just did a quick pop in and hello. cody is going to get kicked out of the mp room soon, i am thinking of moving her into the middle dog room with darla and nola and dexter at night cuz i am tired of running back and forth out there in the pissing down rain. and so far everyone else seems ok. except they all peed alot this afternoon and i am not too happy about that.
Judging by the fact that whenever most cows are haltered and led into robotic, shiny machinery it ends badly, I can understand Jeannette's trepidation!!!
BTW, for anyone who doubts the intelligence of farm animals (my roommate swears up and down that sheep are idiots) I highly suggest reading "The Emotional Lives of Farm Animals" by Jeffrey Moussaieff Masson. It is an eye and heart-opening read.