Good Samaritan, deputies rescue pregnant cow as she nearly drowns

HUDSON, Fla. (WFLA) – It’s one of those calls deputies don’t get very often – if at all.

When deputies arrived on scene Wednesday at a ranch on Denton Avenue in Hudson Florida, they found a Good Samaritan holding a pregnant cow. The Good Samaritan spotted the animal when driving by.

The 3-year-old cow was stuck in a small pond fighting for her life.

The cow may have only been in one foot of water but, in her condition, she could have drowned.

WFLA-TV obtained the Pasco County Sheriff’s Office body camera footage that captured the entire rescue. “Got a cow down,” one deputy is heard saying as he arrives on scene.

The Good Samaritan then says, “I’ve been up here holding the head up out of the water.”

“This must have just happened for you to pass by and see it,” the deputy responds. “Otherwise, she would have drowned.”

Still, at this point, the cow was not close to being out of the woods.

The deputy asks, “What about a log? Can we get a log under her neck? Under her head?”

While the deputy eventually finds a good log, the Good Samaritan keeps the cow as calm as possible.

“There you go,” he says with a deep sigh.

Deputies say the cow’s unborn calf put too much pressure on her spine, which caused a brief paralysis. Her legs were as stiff as a board. Her heart rate was soaring, and she was just helpless.

It didn’t take too long for deputies to devise a plan. “Got any rope?” one of the deputies is heard asking.

They used a large strap and pulled the cow to safety. It was a risky rescue that took place in under an hour.

“That’s why we do what we do is because animals don’t have that ability to call and say, ‘Hey, can you come help me … I’m in distress,’” Cpl. Scott Kenner said.

Kenner is part of the sheriff’s office agricultural unit. He grew up on a farm and he has attended training that prepared him to be ready for anything.

It’s all in a day’s work for these deputies.

“It’s what we do,” Kenner said. “You go on to the next one. You could be saving a cow one day. You could be chasing a cow right after.”

After being freed, the cow was no longer suffering from the pressure of her unborn calf.

She’s doing just fine and is expected to have a healthy baby calf.