cow hugging

Animal therapy has been promoted for some time as having beneficial effects for people suffering mental and physical disabilities.  Dogs are the obvious choice for this but, for people with disabilities, riding a horse, specially chosen and geared up for the purpose, has been shown to relieve stress and depression.  Miniature pigs are turning up in classrooms to help children with ADHD.  Goat yoga involves young goats who, guided by the instructor, climb over the  yoga students as they do their moves. For a while it was thought that swimming with dolphins might be the next thing to try but experts shook their heads and said it had no proven benefits and might be bad for the dolphins.

 So now the cows are having their turn.  Apparently the Dutch observed that standing around in a paddock with a cow slowed your heart rate enormously. On top of that the cow would agreeably sit down to chew the cud which meant that you could get even more comfortable. The cows used in therapy are often affectionately referred to as grass puppies. This new therapy called cow hugging or cow cuddling is travelling around the world and has arrived in Australia. Townsville has a cow called Nemoo, which is delighted to let you hug it and seems to be unfazed by endless streams of people seeking wellness in a bovine way.   Perhaps this could be a policy plank for Barnaby Joyce!