A little bull who'd been rejected by his herd due to his small size couldn’t be happier, having found his forever new home and adorable furry friends.
It was a joyful moment when Haru the mini bull met two puppies—they loved him instantly.
“Our two foster puppies, Ashla and Bogani, absolutely loved Haru from the first moment they saw him,” said Amber Sullivan-Vo, who adopted Haru. “They ran right up to him and gave him a ton of kisses all over his face, jumping up and loving all over him.”
For his part, Haru, who is 2 years old, was a little surprised, but reveled in the attention, bowing his head low for their kisses. Previously, Haru had spent all his time alone, but living with a pack of friendly dogs means he’s now never without company.
“Haru seems to think he is a dog!” Amber said.
Amber, 30, works as a dog trainer and lives with her husband, Anthony, in Massachusetts. Just over a year ago, the couple were debating adding another animal to their home. They originally considered a mini pig, but heard they sometimes show aggression toward dogs. So, having always liked cows, the couple started looking around for a small cow breed instead.
“Mini cows are hard to come by and can be quite expensive,” Amber said. “But we looked on Craigslist as a bit of a joke and were surprised to find one.”
Upon making arrangements to purchase the animal, the couple joked that they would either get a mini cow, or had hit upon a scam, but when they arrived at the property to see him, there he was. A miniature Hereford, standing just 38 inches tall—hip height. Haru’s owners said that they were looking to sell him because he couldn’t be with their herd, and he was too much effort to keep on his own.
“It’s not good for cows to be solitary,” Amber said.
Amber and Anthony took two dogs along when they went to see Haru, to make sure he wasn’t terrified of, or aggressive, toward them.
“He didn’t appear particularly bothered, but he wasn’t very interested in us or them. Our dogs are used to a bunch of animals because of us doing lots of training and having lots of animals over, so they weren’t bothered by him,” she said.
A few weeks later, after Amber and Anthony had built a new barn for Haru, the old owners dropped him off. For the first few days, Haru kept to himself while he settled in. Then, with the help of a few treats to coax him along, he started coming out of his shell. Now, a year on, the couple describe Haru as very affectionate and intelligent, and say he adores both people and dogs; even seeming to think he’s a dog himself.
“He acts just like them, he hangs out with all of us when we are outside, he sniffs the dogs and grazes with them and he always wants to be involved when we are training,” Amber said.
Haru has certainly found a special family and has a nice life. Currently, he’s enjoying the summer relaxing on their property, and loves fresh cut grass.
“The dogs love to sunbathe,” Amber said, “and Haru can be found out there lying down with them, while the dogs will often join Haru if he is grazing.”
If the dogs are in a playful mood or get the zoomies, Haru will run around and join in with them. “One of my demo dogs, Mali, loves to play with Haru and always tries to get him to play chase,” she said.
Haru’s favorite thing, though, has always been the young dogs of the pack. Ever since the day the first puppies, Ashla and Bogani, met him, each time they went outside, they’d run to look for him, and Haru would look for them.
“He loves puppies especially, and is extra gentle around them,” Amber said. “It was such a sweet friendship with Ashla and Bogani. They would go to wake him up in the morning; they would find him when he was grazing; he would wait for them by our porch.”
With every round of foster puppies that arrive, Haru waits with his head down, hoping for kisses. If they don’t give him kisses, he simply enjoys watching them.
Amber and Anthony are keen to stress that such special friendships come from a combination of luck, training, and good temperaments. “Please don’t trust your dog with any random cow, as they aren’t always as gentle,” Amber said.
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