Many of us have had the opportunity to encounter an alpha personality. You know the type: the born leader with a commanding personality who commands attention simply by walking into a room. Hitler, Mussolini and Big Bird are notable examples. Few realize that such individuals also exist in the animal world. You may have heard of an Alpha dog, cat or chicken, but few are aware of the existence of Alpha cows. The old red one, who besieged our pasture for almost 10 years, was one of those. She stood nearly 5 feet tall at the hip and, with the exception of a twisted white swastika-shaped patch in the center of her forehead, her entire body was decorated with reddish-orange hair. It was the white spot, however, that should have served as a harbinger of his future evil deeds. Actions that made her a worthy recipient of my final revenge. She was the queen of the lot and no animal, not even the bull, challenged her dominance. When the cattle were fed she assumed the position of queen of the haystack or, more often, head of the bale. The other cattle timidly approached her to eat, but only for the time being and when she felt the desire to let them. It is difficult to imagine a conjugal visit from the Bull. Perhaps it was a display of leadership, but, in the spring of each year, she gave birth to one of the strongest and healthiest calves in the herd. More than once she had twins. It was for this reason, and the unparalleled volume of milk she produced, that saved her from the short walk down the walkway to the truck and then into burger heaven. Old Red was one of those people for whom the saying "The grass is always greener on the other side of the fence" had a literal meaning. To her it was not only greener but also tastier. .... .. half of the paper ...... every time Old Red got electrocuted. Saying to myself "Take that!" ZAP "That's for the midnight dunking." and ZAP "That's for knocking over the bucket milk for the twentieth time." and ZAP "That's for slapping me in the face with the manure cut tail." She finally gave up, but was out of earshot for a long time, obviously totally confused and disoriented. So, how much was she sweet my revenge on Old Red the Alpha Cow? Did this episode destroy her spirit? Well, consider that a few days later she led the entire herd on an escape that ended in the neighbors' pasture, forcing us to spend half a day at separate the two herds. Oh, and by the way, in the meantime, the corn cob has disappeared from the electric fence. To this day I don't know if dad took pity on her and took it away or if he somehow found a way? What do you think? I know which one I'd bet on.