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.
Did anyone else get “Bulls on Parade” in their head reading this article?
No, but now I’m thinking about Duran Duran’s Bulls on Film.
The bull’s name is clearly descriptive. Driving behind his Crown Vic parade vehicle, you’d be saying howdy to a very large volume of doody.
Started reading before I read the by-line.
Then I got to the detailed description of Bull feces… Must be Torch.
Rhonda seems like a keeper!
I know this isn’t the point, but he could probably tow a trailer with the bull in it with that car. The later Panther bodies make awesome tow pigs. I sold an old Gravely two wheel tractor to a guy who collects them, and he came in a Grand Marquis with a utility trailer to pick it up.
Saw the pic in the Guardian and knew right away I’d seen this bull and car in 2021 in the Neligh NE Fourth of July Parade, about an hour from Norfolk where he was cited.
Reminds me of the way too many piss and shit blasted road trips across Nebraska as the trucks carrying them were rolling shit stations.
The stench was overwhelming, especially in the summer.
Now this guy here?
Well that boy ain’t right…
from AP:
“..,issued a warning for vision obstruction and unsecured load”.
“His owner, Lee Meyer, said Howdy Doody enjoys going on walks on a leash, getting treats and, yes, feeling the wind rush past his face when they go on rides. Howdy Doody also knows some commands, such as “back up” and “come here.”” and
“The 63-year-old retired machinist tinkered with his car, an old police cruiser, for a couple of months. He reinforced the floor, suspension and frame. He put a gate on the side and added a plexiglass barrier. Then came the finishing touches: miniature horns adorning the hood of the car and a plate reading “BOY & DOG.””
I’ve seen cow urine and feces blasting out of the side of cattle haulers on the highway. So, that can’t be the issue. In fact, I had to swerve to avoid a stream of cow urine just the other day while passing a cattle trailer.
My guess is that “his brake light was out”. Standard reason to harass people around here. especially if “you don’t look like you’re from around here”.
if it were me, I’d have given him an escort.
Username checks out
I think Howdy Doody somehow qualifies for Dave Matthews Band membership 😉
Cop: “Mess with the bull and you’ll get the horns mister. I’m citing you for SOMETHING here!”
Looks like a Grand Tour stunt
As a farmer, I both approve of this and will tell you there are far sketchier ways to transport livestock.
I’ve seen people do crazier shit with furniture…
I mean, I dunno. I feel like the bull may not have been enjoying the ride all that much, and was definitely in harm’s way if they got into an accident. Bulls don’t normally enjoy even normal cattle trailer rides. My real qualm with the police here is sending the guy back home instead of calling in proper animal transport.
Please don’t hate me for being a buzzkill, I did see the video and a lot of it is funny as hell, but it also felt a bit cruel towards the bull.
I call BS on that right rear quarter panel
haha
You win.
My other car is a Ranchero
The real reason there was a traffic stop? The tailpipe emissions… Holy cow!
The first story I read about this popped up on Google from the New York Post.
I know all things are relative, but “Photos show the immense black and white bull — named Howdy Doody — casually riding in the small, modified car…”
Have we really come to this? A Crown Vic is a small car. I have heard with rise of the SUV some people call anything that doesn’t have a 5-6′ roofline a “tiny car” but c’mon.
I feel you. I am still itching about an episode of Cops filmed in Russia that I saw 25 years ago, in which the voiceover refers to a Lada Samara as a “nimble European sports car” or somesuch.
I think the reporter’s perspective was thrown off by how massive that bull is. He does make the Crown Vic look small by comparison, especially with how much the car leans his way.
I smoked way too much weed before reading this, and now I can’t stop chuckling to myself. Highly recommended.
I know you guys are fairly lax on vehicle requirements in the US, but the reach on those horns would give me some concerns if I was driving in the adjacent lane.
Heard on the radio this morning that last night in Phoenix a guy was “driving” in a Power Wheels Jeep on the side of the road (not ON the road); cops stopped him (yes, he was drunk) and arrested him for a DUI.
Cops on a power trip, same as this bull guy.
Knew a guy who got a DUI and lost his license for riding a bicycle while drunk
Of course it looks ok to you, you’re the guy in the Pao who drove around with a deer in his headlights.
Right? I prefer to drive around the deer in my headlights.
Buy a Crown Victoria and we’ll throw in a Taurus.
It is OBVIOUS why he got pulled over.
Howdy Doody wasn’t wearing a seat belt.
Based on the pictures I would rename “Howdy” “Lotta”…