Cow breaks a “record”

My son, Jia-Wen, often boasts that he is the only human family member who has not been bitten by Cow. Of course, to maintain this “clean, unbitten” record, one needs to be extremely careful, mindful and swift in handling Cow. One must know how many seconds one is allowed to pat him, how to hold him and when to let go completely so that one’s limbs are not within the “biting range” of Cow’s jaws.

Yes, I’ve been so badly bitten before (with blood spurting out for at least half an hour), Ming-Yi has been bitten many times too and so has my husband. Only Jia-Wen had never been bitten by Cow. Scratched, yes but not bitten.

Well, he spoke too soon.

The record was broken yesterday.

It was out of the blue that Cow just bit Jia-Wen. That’s right…Jia-Wen patted Cow and the cranky one decided it’s time to break the record, so he went for Jia-Wen’s hand and planted a puncture wound on it. It all happened in a split second.

It bled, but not badly so we figured a tetanus jab isn’t necessary.

Cow is well-known in our colony for being the one who has spot-on accuracy with his jaws. He NEVER misses.

The art of carrying Cow:

1. Make sure his jaw is AWAY from any bite-able part of your body.

2. By all means, hug him, but make sure only the BACK of his head is in direct contact with any part of your body.

3. Grab him securely so that both his front legs are not within scratch-able distance from any part of your body.

4. Always, always approach him from the back if you wish to carry him. Never approach from the front.

It takes practice and skill to master all of the above. For the weak-hearted and those who do not fancy a trip to the doctor’s for a tetanus jab, maybe a friendly “Good boy, Cow” greeting, from a safe distance will do. I wouldn’t dare recommend even a pat on the head.

He never misses.

Even when he sleeps…