Pulled Through the Snow

This story is not about flying down a hill until my eyes get pushed back into my head or being pulled by a truck down a snowy road and almost dying, this is about my grandpa, being pulled through the snow... by a cow (don't worry Ms. Harstone said it was okay). Knowing my family, surprisingly, this was not on purpose.

My eighty-eight year old Grandpa owns a small farm just outside of Ardrossan, Alberta and runs a Cow-Calf operation. Basically he breeds cows, lets the calves grow for about a year and then sells them. He doesn't make much money, but he loves his job and that's all that matters.

 

Anyway, one day in winter, usually the time the cows give birth, my grandpa headed into the barn to check on the soon-to-be mother cows. He opened the door (an old piece of chipboard) to the barn and set it precariously against the wall. One of the cows was crowning, so he kept a close eye on her as she... did her thing. Occasionally however, the calf gets stuck and you have to use a tool called a "calf-puller." It's pretty much a rope with a "choke chain" to hook the cow's legs on, and a ratchet to pull it out with.

 

So, he hooked it up like he has to do at least a few times a year and started ratcheting.  Just then, the door of the barn fell right on a cow standing near the door. This caused a huge racket which spooked the cow that was giving birth and she started running. Alright, not a big deal, they're fenced in, she'll just run out to the pen and calm down right? Well... one problem, the calf puller was still attached to the calf which was inside the mother, my grandpa desperately tryed to get it off its legs but managed to get his first two fingers caught! You would be surprised how strong cows can be... and fingers can be. The cow pulled my grandpa right out the door (by his two fingers), through the snow and heading for a fence. It wasn't stopping. I would imagine this wasn't that fun of a ride. Desperately trying to untangle himself, the cow jumped over the six foot tall chain-linked fence sending my grandpa face first into it. The sheer force of the collision pulled the chain right off his hand, the cow still bookin' it. Amazingly, my grandpa was totally fine.

If we got this on camera, it would be a YouTube sensation! The funniest part of the story was the purple and green (bruised) checkered pattern left on his face by the wire fence. Classic!

 

 

My Grandpa and I, last year.