Today, the car-and-large-mammal-verse is all abuzz because of a news story that’s been making the rounds all day: around Norfolk, Nebraska, a man was pulled over for driving with a full-grown Watusi bull. That in itself shouldn’t really be a problem, especially in Nebraska, which probably lets you drive in the carpool lane if you have livestock riding with you. No, the reason the driver was pulled seems to be because he was taking his bull for a spin in a 1997 Ford Crown Victoria. Here’s the thing, though: I don’t think the man (or the bull) did anything wrong!
The man’s name is Lee Meyer, of Neligh, Nebraska, and the bull’s name is Howdy Doody, presumably of Neligh as well. There’s video of the pair driving so you can see that the Crown Vic has been pretty extensively modified to accommodate the bull’s unique automotive demands:
This isn’t a case of some bull just shoved into the right half of the bench seat in front of a Crown Vic; this car’s body has been sectioned out to make room for the bull, and a large, sturdy fence/ramp setup seems to be forming the right side of the car, allowing the bull entry and egress and keeping him secure in the car.
News Channel Nebraska spoke with the Norfolk Police department about the incident:
“The officers received a call referencing a car driving into town that had a cow in it,” Police Captain Chad Reiman said. “They thought that it was going to be a calf, something small or something that would actually fit inside the vehicle.”
The vehicle was big enough, technically.
“As a result, the officers performed a traffic stop and addressed some traffic violations that were occurring with that particular situation,” Reiman said.
Other articles mentioned “citable issues” with the car, but I’m wondering what those were, exactly? Is it horns? If so then this car would be in violation whether it’s hauling bull or not, since there’s horns mounted on the hood, and I’m going to say this is by no means the only car to sport add-on hood horns in Nebraska. It may be a pedestrian safety nightmare, but it doesn’t seem to be in violation of Nebraska codes.
A Crown Vic is a body-on-frame RWD car designed to haul six hulking Americans. There’s a reason these things were the choice of cop cars and taxicabs for decades. They’re tough, and under the skin, they’re not all that different than a pickup truck. A full-grown Watusi bull weighs between 1,300 and 1,600 pounds, it seems. You think a Crown Vic has never held that much mammal meat, divided between six healthy, robust Americans? Of course they have. I’m not even sure a bull and a driver is meeting a Crown Vic’s payload rating, let alone exceeding it.
haha this angle with all the pooooo https://t.co/6r7PSDyJJa pic.twitter.com/CGfpojGWU2
— Takuro Spirit (@TakuroSpirit) August 31, 2023
Okay, sure, the fecal management of this particular setup isn’t ideal, and I think it’s possible that for many people, this is the very reason Watusi bulls aren’t more popular as pets. They may have sweet dispositions and are ideal lap bulls, but for a lot of potential owners the colossal and tsunami-like sprays and gushers of semi-liquid bull feces are a deal breaker. To each their own!
But if you can look past the shit-streaked rear quarter of that car, you may notice a sign reading BEST CAR ENTRY for Nebraska’s Big Rodeo Parade. If there’s any organization I’d trust to evaluate bull transportation, it’s whomever is running Nebraska’s Big Rodeo Parade, and they gave Meyer a freaking award. That’s all I need to hear.
I attempted to reach out to Meyer by phone, but no avail. The Hartford Courant did as well, and had somewhat better luck, reaching Meyer’s wife Rhonda:
Rhonda Meyer told US92 that “Lee thinks he’s a movie star” after the video of his traffic stop went viral, but that he’s also a little shy.
Meyer said Howdy Doody is like a member of the family now, but she wasn’t always wild about how much her husband spent on the bull over the years.
“The amount of money that he’s spent on this whole darn project between the car and the bull I could’ve had a brand new kitchen,” Rhonda Meyer said.
Look, we all know the reason why Meyer was stopped is because seeing a bull riding in a Crown Vic just looks weird. Was anything really happening all that differently here than if the bull was in an enclosed trailer, other than everyone would be having a lot less fun? No. Both options would have transported the bull from one place to another, but in the Crown Vic at least the bull gets to enjoy the fresh air and feel like a Prom King.
Meyer has driven the bull in the car many times before, in parades and just getting around, sources state. It’s clear the Crown Vic works.
Yes, Meyer just got a warning and was instructed to drive the bull back home, but I think he needn’t have been stopped in the first place. Maybe he could place some amber position lamps on the bull’s horns at night, but beyond that, this setup seems to work. And if we start getting complacent and letting cops stop cars just because they happen to have a massive amount of mammal flesh in them and are covered in feces, then it’s just a matter of time before they start coming at you or I, in our cars, perhaps equally full of flesh and spattered in feces.
The man and his bull did nothing wrong.
A man an’ a cow is a bit weird, but not uncommon ’round these parts. But a man and a bull, well, that jest ain’t natchrull!
I’m guessing Howdy Doody’s Uber rider rating is not great.
That’s nuts.
I think this situation easily qualifies, I think air travel will be difficult.
“To qualify for a comfort animal, therefore, a licensed mental health professional must first determine that an individual has a mental disability or mental illness as classified by the DSM. Apart from mental health professionals such as psychologists and licensed counselors, this determination can also be made by an individual’s general practitioner.”
https://www.certapet.com/emotional-support-animal/
We live in a country where a venomous snake can be a registered “comfort animal”. A bull is perfectly fine.
Sorry honey.
He called shotgun fair and square.
Forgive me for my ignorance. Is Nebraska the mashup of Texas and Florida?
Also, it looks like a civilian Panther. A cop issue would probably have a heavier duty suspension and not list like that.
It’s not unheard of to have an a-pillar spot on a civilian car, but usually that indicates a retired police or private security vehicle.
And no, the plains states are just gifted enough space that neighbors don’t mess with neighbors much. It lets people be harmlessly weird without getting headlines (except in rare cases like this.)
If you watch the video you can see the remains of the old livery that now says LICE. So yes it is an old police car and yes they have higher rate springs than civilian CVs. However they do not have a higher payload rating.
To answer your question: LOL absolutely not. This is about the craziest thing you will find going on in Nebraska, which is not really “that” crazy given the ruralness of where Neligh, NE is located and compared to any Floridaman or Texasman content you regularly read about. This is more redneck ingenuity which is more prevalent in areas of this country where livestock outnumber the human population…in Nebraska that is a 3.5:1 Cow:Human ratio 😉
A Watusi is the only bull I would expect in this scenario.
I always enjoy them being in petting zoos because half the children are terrified by the horns that put Hellboy to shame, so they’re happy to get some chow and ear scratches. Like giant, calm puppies.
My wife likes highlands more, but they’re jerks half the time, even if they’re fluffy.
Yeah, but Highlands are a lot smaller too.
Would be funny to see these two go past an “oversize load” truck with the red warning flags hanging off the sides.
Plot twist, it’s RHD.
It’s for delivering the male.
There’s a Far Side out there that has to show this being a thing
It’s obviously a mooving violation.
He thought the stock horn was too small.
You’ve never seen a Crown Victoria with the leather interior?
What did the driver say when he got pulled over for illegal dumping?
“Officer, that’s bullshit!”
He was just trying to get to a parade on the other side of the river. Everybody knows the best way to get your cattle across a river is to cut through a Ford.
Bull: can I do the brakes and gas this time?
Driver: no, you steer.
Seriously though, it’s crazy he chose a Crown Vic for this. You normally only see a bull like that in a Rodeo.
If your going to go Ford, isn’t a Taurus the way to go.
This one had the rare leather exterior option.
Wait a second. My ex-wife dates a guy with a Crown Vic? Typical.
This is el torrobull idea!
The bull should have been on left side so he could be STEERing
Didn’t we see a vehicle referenced a car/truck combo prior to the El Rancho and El Camino with sales picks of a horse in a wagon bed? So okay for horses but not for bovine. OH let’s hope Rocco and his pal heifer don’t here of this bovinism hate crime.
The general appearance and the method of attachment for the remaining demi-windshield makes me think it’s a sheet of some type of plastic, in violation of Nebraska Revised Statute 60-6,263 which specifies safety glass for this:
https://law.justia.com/codes/nebraska/2022/chapter-60/statute-60-6-263/
Bumper Sticker:
If you can read this, you are in the shit spray radius.
OMG that rear view. Ford Brown Victoria.
Has the COTD been awarded yet?
I’m pretty sure that’s a Merdeury.
Wasn’t there one a decade back…white Mark lV Lincoln with the bull held in by guard rails?
Maybe that was this guy’s uncle and he’s just following family tradition
I do recall seeing another version of this several years ago.
LICE
I’m betting that they have rules regarding the transportation of livestock in Nebraska. If they do, though, this guy should get an exemption – that’s a hell of a job he’s done in adapting that Crown Vic for bull hauling duties, and Howdy (can we call him Howdy? Mr. Doody?) looks quite happy.
Once again the Panther platform shows its durability and flexibility.
The answer is always Panther.
I knew I had seen something like this before. This guy is 14 years late to the game: https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/bull-ship/
I think the real hero of this story is the Crown Victoria’s suspension design team.
It’s got a cow motor, it’s got cow tires, cow suspensions, cow shocks….What do you say, is it the new Bullsmobile or what?
Does the bullfighting lighter work?
One thing to keep in mind is that the suspension is shared with the Town Car and as such it was designed to be stretched for limo use. Ford approved the completed car if the curb weight was no more than 2x of what it left the factory at. So yeah it was designed for a lot of weight.
How is this not part of the least popular smells article?
So much bullshit.
Least American news story ever: