'Lazy' cow goes viral after 'faking sleep' to avoid milking
Doris, a Friesian from a dairy herd on the Isle of Wight, was caught on camera appearing to pretend to sleep to avoid being milking.
A 'lazy' dairy cow has become an internet sensation after being caught on camera pretending to be asleep to avoid being milked.
Doris, one of a herd of 200 dairy cows, appeared to be trying to get a bit more shut-eye while her fellow Friesians went off for milking.
Farmworker John Brodie spotted Doris look up, then "pop her head back down" and pretend to be sleeping.
He caught her antics on camera and sent it to his wife, who shared it on TikTok, sending it viral.
The footage has been viewed over 1.5 million times and is even entertaining audiences in the US.
Brodie told the BBC: "Just before I started to take the video – the reason I took it in the first place – was because she was the only one in the barn, all the other cows had got themselves up.
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"They'd wandered off as they do, to eat some silage before milking, but Doris had her head up and was looking at me and I watched her pop her head back down and think 'nah, not today John'.
"And that's why I got my phone out because I knew she was being typical Doris and trying to play me up.
"That's what made me think I better get this on video."
In the video, John can be heard saying, "Everyone's out getting ready for milking, except for Doris.
"Doris. Come on. I can see your ears moving."
Doris is part of the herd on Reeds Farm on the Isle of Wight, which supplies milk to local shops and branches of Co-op on the island.
Asked if she is a 'lazy cow', Brodie added: "Yes, you could say that. She likes to take it easy, does Doris, bless her. She's usually the last one to do anything.
"I think she thinks by hanging back she'll get a bit more fuss and attention – she really loves a bit of fuss."
He said they had been taken aback by her newfound fame, though Doris remained blissfully ignorant.
"Doris is really not too fussed actually, she's quite happy doing her day to day thing," he added.
"But, certainly for us it's a complete whirlwind. I would never have imagined that it could have got this exposure and gone around the world."
