Bovinaphobia Treatment Continues

Baby Cow with Garmin - remember that Garmin's buns only come to my waist in height

The border collies say good morning to Baby Cow

I have no pictures of Cecil with Baby Cow because there is no way he wants to get close enough for that, but these are a couple cute ones with the dogs and other horses.  Cecil is looking bleary eyed and tired.  I don't think he's slept at all in the 3 days since Baby Cow arrived.  Cecil is at least eating and drinking again despite Baby Cow's close proximity (Cecil will not go closer than about 30 feet from the cow by himself), but he will muster up his courage to get a little closer if both Garmin and I are between him and Baby Cow.  We are calling him Baby Cow because he is desperately adorable and if I named him I couldn't give him back, so Baby Cow it is.  He follows me around and bleats for his bottle in the morning and evening when I go out to feed, and today he discovered my fencing is really designed more for large horses than itty bitty calves.  Baby Cow escaped twice this evening, once to go graze near the driveway, and the second time to go graze and snooze near the pond.  Cecil was much more relaxed when Baby Cow was on the other side of the fence, but was more upset when I guided Baby Cow back to the pen.  The calf is not halter broke so I wrap my arms around him, one around the base of his neck and the other around his backside and kind of shove/guide him along, which Cecil is apparently interpreting as me wrestling a carnivore into his boudoir.

Baby Cow can't understand why no one wants to play with him.  He will scamper and frolic around the pen and Cecil goes bonkers, running from him and shoving Garmin out of the escape path.  Garmin does eat hay with Baby Cow and has expressed interest in the bottle feedings.  If Baby Cow gets so excited about it there must be SOMETHING good in that calf nurser - move out of the way cow!  Baby Cow has tried nursing off of Garmin, who had to explain that Baby Cow was on his own, Garmin doesn't have the right equipment for that.   Last night Owen, Baby Cow, the border collies, Garmin, a client, a client horse, and I were all on one side of the pen visiting and chatting.  Cecil adores being the center of attention and was fairly upset that we were hanging out so near to Baby Cow instead of him.  Even though he was scared, he mustered up all his courage and came over to join us where we were standing, as long as Garmin and I both were between him and Baby Cow.  He sniffed the baby bottle, he sniffed, chewed on, and then stomped on my cow-smelling gloves which I gave him to mess with, and even took a good close look at Baby Cow who was napping.  Once Baby Cow stood up Cecil ran back to his "safe" corner, but this is definite progress!