A lazy cow named Doris has garnered worldwide sympathy for “pretending” to be asleep to avoid being milked on a dairy farm on the Isle of Wight, which is home to a herd of 200. A US news program featured her story, and a TikTok video of her antics has received over 1.5 million views.
The viral video shows farmhand John Brodie attempting to persuade an unimpressed-looking Doris to leave her stall on a chilly morning two weeks prior. Mr. Brodie stated that the video illustrated how Doris had more human-like qualities than those of a typical cow.
Farmhand John Brodie filmed the video at Reads Farm, located near Newport, solely to amuse his wife, Laura. “Laura found it amusing and posted it on TikTok – I wasn’t even aware of it,” he explained. However, everything changed when Radio One DJ Greg James aired the audio on his breakfast show the next day, and thousands of people expressed sympathy for Doris’ unwillingness to get up early.
“Just before I started to take the video – the reason I took it in the first place – was because she was the only one in the barn, all the other cows had got themselves up. They’d wandered off as they do, to eat some silage before milking, but Doris had her head up and was looking at me and I watched her pop her head back down and think ‘nah, not today John’. And that’s why I got my phone out because I knew she was being typical Doris and trying to play me up. That’s what made me think I better get this on video.” He said.
“I identify as Doris,” one person commenting said, while others claimed the lazy cow as their own “spirit animal”
Following the video’s viral success, Mr. Brodie was interviewed by CNN’s Jeanne Moos, where he discussed how Doris, the lazy cow had always been “cheeky.” He informed the BBC that the attention surrounding the video had been “insane,” with messages about Doris pouring in from all over the world.
Asked if she is a ‘lazy cow’, Brodie added: “Yes, you could say that. She likes to take it easy, does Doris, bless her. She’s usually the last one to do anything. I think she thinks by hanging back she’ll get a bit more fuss and attention – she really loves a bit of fuss.”
Mr. Brodie remarked, “It’s really surprising, but I think it’s a good thing. I believe any positive exposure for the dairy industry, particularly at the moment, is a positive thing.” He also shared his affection for Doris, whom he had developed a close bond with, as the friendly lazy cow would frequently attempt to groom him as if he were a member of the herd. “Doris has an incredible personality – she’s more of a person than a cow,” he concluded.
There are some other animals out there that have claimed the same title – one has to be Jingang, the lazy horse
Jingang, a Korean horse named after a Chinese city, has been labeled the “world’s laziest horse.” After being ridden by heavy individuals several times a day, he has had enough and devised a clever tactic to avoid carrying riders across the local countryside – he pretends to be dead.
“That horse is a genius, wish I could just do that every time someone I don’t like comes near me.” One comment on YouTube read. The same happened to me when I was a kiddo and sitting on a horse… He fell down and pretended that he had fainted… But when I kept some chana in front of his mouth, he suddenly woke up… 😂,” another read. Absolutely me when my sister wakes me up to go and get ready for school.” Commented a third.
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Sources
- “‘Lazy’ cow goes viral after ‘faking sleep’ to avoid milking.” Yahoo News. Ellen Manning. March 31, 2023
- “Isle of Wight cow ‘faking sleep’ attracts global sympathy.” BBC News. Toby Wadey. March 30, 2023