DES MOINES, IA(AheadOfNews.com) - These days, if Martha Crowell waits until the cows come home, she hardly has to wait at all - the cows are her indoor pets, and only go outside to relieve themselves.
"It was kind of hard to house-train them," admits Ms. Crowell, a retired school teacher, "but once they got the hang of it we didn't have any more trouble."
Crowell currently has a miniature cow named Elsie and miniature bull named Elmer. Although they're only a fraction of the size of normal cattle, they each weigh several hundred pounds."They're easier than dogs." says Crowell, "They'll
sit there for hours in front of the TV, just chewing their cud. They're both big fans of Oprah.
"Martha Crowell isn't alone in having cows at home - several ranchers have now specialized in raising "companion cows". Marvin Hope, a rancher in southern Ohio, says "a lot of folks with allergies to cats and dogs find that they can have a cow around without any problems. They're calm, happy animals, and inexpensive to feed.""Plus," Hope says, "you can get up to two gallons of milk a day from a miniature cow. Just try to do that with a cat!"
"As for butter versus margarine,
I trust cows more than chemists"
- Joan Gussow
