About that "cute" little bull....

jhm47

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A story that my 99 year old father told me: When he was young, he had to walk to school each day. It was about a 2 mile hike (no--not uphill both ways), and the neighbors had a huge Holstein bull with horns that would follow him along the road and bellow. Luckily the fence kept him in check while my dad was walking along. Dad had to hide and walk in the opposite ditch while the bull raged along the fence. One day, the bull smashed through the fence and attacked a car on the road. It happened to be the rural mailman's car, and the bull stuck one of his horns through the back door. END OF BULL! The postal service made sure that the bull was disposed of for the safety of the mailman. Question: Why was the mailman's life more valuable than my (then little boy) dad's???
 

HeidiO

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I am always reminding my boys that even our goats are still animals, with animal behaviors that can hurt you.
My dad was gored by a bull at 10 years old. Woke the sleeping bull up accidentally and that was it. Opened my dad up from hip to hip. He dealt with infection and lots of other issues, including 2 surgeries as an adult. The bull only stopped going after my dad to chase my uncle who was beating him with a milking hose. The bull was gone before nightfall.
I don't care how friendly, or tame a farm animal is, you can never forget that they are an animal. I have seen "pet" cows go nuts if you so much as look at their calf. I don't trust any livestock 100%. So, my opinion on keeping a bull who is aggressive- it is stupid.
 

WildRoseBeef

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My great-grandpa was killed by a bull. I don't know the whole story, but it sounded like one of those Angus bulls he had--a bull with no horns--he was trying to get out of the barn but got cornered and stomped and crushed to death. This was well before I was born, but when my dad was a kid.

And I had a close encounter with a steer when I was little. I had just stepped out from the truck to see where my folks went because I was getting a little worried and met face to face with a brockle-faced steer. That steer seen me and thought me like I was some sort of dog that needed chasing, and he came after me with head down ready to take me out. Scared me half to death and he was on my heels when I reached the truck to yank the door open, screaming for help as I went, and slam it behind me, leaving me shaking and crying.

No, you don't dare trust an animal that's ten times bigger than you. Especially when they have the significant potential to hurt/kill you.
 

LisaR

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It's a bull and it's doing what a bull does. In my opinion, they left him intact so they deserve it and hopefully they learned from it but I doubt it. Hopefully others are paying attention to this story and cutting their Bulls but some people are rather idiots or ignorant and don't think it'll happen to them.
I had my Jersey done as soon as he dropped as well as dehorned, I'm not stupid enough to take any chances on my families safety.
 

HeidiO

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@Bossroo I would consider myself a bleeding heart. I bought a goat kid with severe infected frostbite, I have all my mom's reject chickens, all my cats and dogs have been given to me for one bad habit or another.
But I also gave away my beloved aussie pup because she started being aggressive (she was rehomed to a farm with no children and lots of work for her, new owners have a good track record with aggressive dogs, her whole litter had issues, she is great now)
I am dealing with a tiny rooster who is sneaky and aggressive, but he's on his way out.
I will do a lot to rescue animals, but will not tolerate behaviors that risk health or safety of my family.
 

LisaR

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BUT.. to play devils advocate. A bull is not a domesticated animal which is why there's some tolerance for the bull not much tolerance for aggressive dogs. When you have a bull, it's only a matter of time before someone is in the hospital or dead, that's a price people have to realize when they have one. Putting him down is what I would do but he can also have a second chance at a farm where they are aware of the risks, and if they are willing to take that risk then who are we to judge them. I just don't want to hear them complain when the bull injures a family member or another animal on the farm.
It's like a lion at the zoo, when it attacks a zookeeper, everyone is shocked and wants to put it down even though it just doing what is was born to do.
 

WildRoseBeef

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@LisaR A bull IS a domesticated animal. It is a domesticated animal in the same sense a cow, horse, sheep, goat, dog or cat is a domesticated animal. Bulls have been raised to be around humans and be used by humans for breeding and eventually meat, and so to be handled by humans. Cows can be just as dangerous as a bull and they're still domesticated animals. Horses too. And no one is saying that aggressiveness is tolerated in bulls, because it's not. Any producer with half a brain knows that any sign of aggressiveness from a bull, from the subtle to the quite obvious means that bull HAS to go, no ifs ands or buts. And an aggressive bull doesn't deserve a second chance to go to another farm if the risk that he's going to repeat what he did to another person is quite real. That's what this thread is about. That and to never make a pet out of a bull.
 

LisaR

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I understand what this thread is about and I completely agree with the fact that he needs to be put down, and there are some people that tolerate dangerous bulls which is why that one is still alive and the point of my last comment. I don't agree with the last post I wrote but it is what some people out there think. If you read my first post on this subject you would be aware of my standing on this issue. Any animal, I don't care what it is if it acted with any aggression to my family would be put down.
 
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