Don't have a cow - hug a cow! Pittsburgh area farm offers a unique way to relieve stress
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) - Today, if you're feeling a little stressed, I've found a unique, outside-of-the-box approach to destressing.
Now, don't have a cow, but use a cow to take all your worries away.
Cow cuddling, or hug a cow, has been steadily gaining in popularity since the pandemic and there's a farm right here in the Pittsburgh area offering this special form of relief.
It's quite an experience so leave your inhibitions in the car!
I headed to Hickory Hearth Highlands in McDonald and that's where I met the cow, Ellie, and we hit it off, but we'll get to that in a moment.
"It not only allows people to come to my real working farm, it not only allows them to come up close to farm animals, it also exposes them to agriculture and where their food comes from," said Reagan Carter.
Carter is about to graduate with an agricultural degree from Penn State and she saw cow cuddling on social media a couple of years ago. That led her to think - "I can do that!"
"I expected that I would put it out there, that I would promote all to come to my farm, pet my cows, and that I would get maybe 10 people max," she explained. "I never expected this, in half a year, I would have over 600 people coming to pet my cows at my farm."
They aren't just coming from Western Pennsylvania, either. Carter said they're coming from Hawaii, Alaska, Budapest, the Netherlands, Canada, and all over.
Visitors pay $55 per person for the experience of cow cuddling, they get a one-hour time limit, and with each arrival, Carter sets the scene.
"This is my family's farm, I'm the seventh generation, so my dad...you might see him come in a tractor," she explained.
The family cats are the welcoming committee along with what Carter calls her cow babies - Rusty and Ralph. Also nearby in the barn are Mable and Martha, the pigs awaiting attention, but it's my friend Ellie who comes to you first out in the field.
PHOTO GALLERY: John Shumway goes "cow cuddling" at Hickory Hearth Highlands
While already quite large, Ellie is four years old and she's joined by Opal and Beau as well as the donkeys, Dominic, Poppy, and Penny.
However, if you want to meet the other cow, Bonnie, you have to go to her.
All of this begs the question I'm sure you are asking - do people find it relaxing?
Carter's answer was quite definitive.
"Oh yeah," she said. "I love when people come and say 'this is just so calming and peaceful' and that's one of the best compliments I can get."
All of the animals clearly love the attention and it's a breath of fresh, country air for the visitors.
Now, visitors do have to be 10 and older because younger kids tend to be scared of the cows and the cows could become uneasy with what could be some loud noises.
If you want to give cow cuddling a try, you can find Carter's farm, Hickory Hearth Highlands