A retired American from Neligh, Nebraska, likes to drive around in his customized car with his huge hobby bull, which weighs about 1,000 kilos and has enormous horns. Lee Meyer, a former mechanic, specially modified the car to drive the bull, called Howdy Doody, around. He took off half the roof and windshield on the passenger side, and removed the seats on that side. He has added extra reinforcement and shock absorbers, and an entry gate for the bull. He has been driving around with Howdy Doody next to him for seven years. Without any problems.
Until recently, when Meyer and his bull were stopped by police as they entered the city of Norfolk, theNew York Times. The officers could not believe their eyes when they saw the enormous animal in the car, after a report that someone was driving a cow in the car. Howdy Doody is a mix of a Longhorn cattle and a Watusi cattle, known for its large horns, each almost a meter long. The police did not trust it and ordered Meyer to leave the city with his bull. Typical haughty city behavior, Meyer thought. For short trips with Howdy Doody, Meyer always uses his converted Ford Crown Victoria. For longer trips he uses a special trailer to show his hobby bull and bison at annual fairs in Nebraska. According to him, Howdy Doody is completely at ease in the car. Meyer will continue to ride his bull, he said, but will avoid cities like Norfolk from now on. According to his wife, he often spoils Howdy Doody on such trips, by getting him ice cream at gas stations: “He is the most spoiled bull in northeastern Nebraska.”
A version of this article also appeared in the September 11, 2023 newspaper.