I’d bought day-old Clark and another week-old bull calf from a dairy farm in New Hampton. Both calves drank milk formula like champs. Then, on day four, Clark quit. He turned his nose up at the bottle, and a calf that won’t drink is in trouble.

You’ve heard of therapy dogs and therapy horses. Even cats and rabbits make excellent companions. But have you ever considered a cow as a therapist?

I entered Sam and Bingo, my Black Angus–Normande cross steers, in the official log scoot class. In this class, teams of steers drag a loaded sled through an obstacle course. Sam and Bingo did everything I asked. The trouble is, I hadn't asked often enough at home.

Seven times Owen ran off. Seven times I walked him back. Somewhere around number five, I nearly gave up