"…although there's not likely to be a new bestseller called The Cow Whisperer, given that cows are often misunderstood and underestimated by humans, you'll soon begin to understand why those who raise cows and those who try to mend them learn to love them."
When Rosalie Cooper-Chase joined a veterinary practice
in her mid-20s as an assistant, she found her calling. She knew she
wanted to help animals more than anything, but she probably didn't know
at the time that she'd have to wade through ankle-deep mud, talk her
way past packs of farm dogs, and deal with guard donkeys to do so.
What makes a young woman head off to the Texas A&M
College of Veterinary Medicine, only to find herself at the back end
of a cow in the rain and the dark straightening the legs of a twisted
calf so it can be born? Only the stories in Close Encounters of
the Bovine can give you the answer.
Rosalie tells her tales - heartwarming and sometimes
heartbreaking - with simple honesty and unflinching detail. Her love
of the animals she tries to help is always obvious, but it is her deep
respect for cows that make them come alive as individuals, each worthy
of consideration and care - even the lame bull with a nasty disposition.
You'll quickly discover that Rosalie brings more
than skill, knowledge, and a love of animals to her life's work. She
has an uncanny ability to understand animals and communicate with them.
And although there's not likely to be a new bestseller called The
Cow Whisperer, given that cows are often misunderstood and underestimated
by humans, you'll soon begin to understand why those who raise cows
and those who try to mend them learn to love them.
Rosalie's cows have personality and smarts. And they
certainly have grit. Add a sense of humor and you'll also have a pretty
good description of the author of this book about the adventures of
an East Texas rural veterinarian.
Through Rosalie's eyes you'll see a newborn calf lying
on the ground, struggling for its first breath, and you'll know the
exhilaration and humility she feels at having saved its life and that
of its mother. Whether delivering newborns or castrating young bull
calves, Rosalie brings insight, compassion, and a sense of humor to
every situation. You'll laugh. You'll cry. And you'll grow to appreciate
the life of a veterinarian.
