At this point I might be repeating myself, but I will say it again – there’s never a dull moment in life when there are animals around. And I don’t only mean a goofy pet, occupying the larger part of your bed—or your time and money, for that matter. I mean all sorts of animals, the majority of which seem to have an exceptional skill to get themselves into all sorts of pickles.
Said pickles often result in people having to get them out of trouble, or at least to do a double take at something, as seeing a cow on the roof of what looks like a garage—a picture of which you can find on this list—is definitely not something you see every day.
In addition to bringing joy and giggles, animals can positively affect our emotional and physical well-being by providing emotional support, decreasing our sense of loneliness, and taking us for a walk, even on days when we really don’t feel like it, ensuring that we get the much-needed exercise.
With the numerous benefits human-animal interactions bring, it’s no surprise that most people—in the US, at least—have decided to share their home with a pet. According to Pew Research Center, 62% of Americans have a pet; and nearly every single one of them consider that pet to be a family member.
Nowadays, having a dog or a cat doesn’t surprise anyone; chances are people would be more puzzled to learn that you don’t own one rather than the other way around. But did you know that cows could make great pets, too?
Of course, shoving them into an apartment isn’t good neither for the cow, nor for the human, so it really isn’t a good idea in practice. But in theory, cows could make great pets because of the qualities they possess.
A study of the psychology of cows found that the chonky, beautiful, gentle animals are way smarter than some people deem them to be. As a matter of fact, they are reportedly able to make sophisticated discriminations among not only things but humans and members of their own species, too. They possess emotional capacities that exceed the limits of simple emotions and can experience such things as cognitive judgment bias and emotional contagion.
In addition to that, the study found that cows show emotional reactions to learning, have distinct personalities, and exhibit several dimensions of social complexity, including social learning.
As smart and cute as cows are, they are unfortunately not a great option for an indoor pet, unlike dogs that come in all shapes and sizes. If you’re wondering what size or what kind of dogs are the most popular now – as of 2023, the French bulldog remains seated on the throne, which it had occupied the year before in 2022. Good thing they’re small – might be easier to get themselves out of the random places animals tend to end up in.
