FEELING LONELY DURING PANDEMIC? HUG A COW

Renee Behinfar lives alone in Scottsdale, Ariz. The pandemic has been painfully isolating for her and has left her longing for warmth and touch.

On a recent afternoon, she finally was smothered in long-awaited hugs — by a 2,000-pound cow.

“It was really my first real hug of the year,” said Behinfar, 43, a psychologist who sought out bovine comfort with a friend.

People are signing up to hug cows at sanctuaries across the country, many desperate for affection as the nation approaches a full year of social distancing during the pandemic.

When Sammy the cow, who was rescued from a dairy farm, laid her head in Behinfar’s lap and fell asleep, Behinfar began to cry. The pandemic, she said, has been a time of unprecedented loneliness. “In the end, I really didn’t want to let her go,” Behinfar said.

Behinfar brought a friend with her to Aimee’s Farm Animal Sanctuary in Queen Creek, Ariz., near Phoenix, to cuddle cows as a birthday present for the friend.

The farm has about 100 rescued farm animals, many with disabilities. Cow-cuddling sessions, which cost $75 an hour, are booked until July.

Owner Aimee Takaha says she gets around 20 calls a day about the service she has offered for five years. Business has picked up dramatically in the past year.

“They’re just like happy pills, just to be around,” she said of the cows.

The nine cattle at her farm include Adorabull, an Angus steer (a castrated male) rescued from a ditch; Moonicorn, who has one eye and one horn; and a miniature cow named Moochacha.

The bovines will amble over to guests for hugs and cuddles, she said. They also like to roll over on their sides and rest their heads in people’s laps. Sometimes, a turkey named Azalea or a chicken will come by to join in.

The bovines helped Jeannie Whalen cope with grief after losing her husband, Walter, in May. She credits Moothias and other animals at Aimee’s for comforting her.

“It brings a smile to my face and just a wonderful sense of awe,” said Whalen, 76.

Cow cuddling is also popular in the Netherlands, where it is called “koe knuffelen.”

Suzanne Vullers, who is originally from the Netherlands, offers cow-cuddling sessions at her 33-acre Mountain Horse Farm in Naples, N.Y., a service available to guests of the bed-andbreakfast for about three years. She and her husband, Rudi, offer hourlong sessions several days a week from May through October for $75. They book up quickly; a few weekends in May are already booked solid.

Vullers said it’s a particular draw for city dwellers who have been cooped up and are seeking to immerse themselves in nature to de-stress.

“Spending time with large animals like cows, it’s one of the ways that you can do that,” she said, adding that the cows also enjoy the hugs.