An alleged dog-cow hybrid birthed by a cow in 2011. Enlarge
A second view of the alleged dog-cow cross. Enlarge
View of the interior of the mouth, showing the presence of a dental pad on the anterior maxilla (like that of a cow). Enlarge
None of the many reports quoted below, have as yet been confirmed by molecular genetic tests. Indeed, it seems that none of specimens described therein have ever been subjected to such a test.
This article began as an account of a hybrid birth that allegedly occurred in Indonesia in 2011, but which seems never to have made the news here in the United States. That particular event is described in what immediately follows, the portion of this page that was written first. However, subsequent searches for other records about hybrids of this type revealed many additional, reports, which are quoted lower down on this page, after the account of the Indonesian case.
According to Indonesian-, Malay- and Arabic-language news reports and blogs, on February 2nd of that year, a cow on the island of Madura, off the northeastern coast of Java, gave birth to a creature (pictured at right) that created widespread excitement and, given that cattle are often accorded sacred status in eastern Asia, even religious awe.
The owner, described in the various articles as the “farmer Misnoto” (also pictured at right), is a resident of the hamlet of Katuje in the Gate District of Sumenep, Madura. He told reporters that the “calf” was born early that Wednesday morning via normal processes and that he and his neighbors were all surprised when they saw its dog-like face.
The various reports seem not to identify the type of cow that served as maternal parent, but Maduran farmers do not keep European domestic cattle (Bos taurus), so the mother would most likely have been either a banteng cow (Bos javanicus), shown below at right, or a cow of the Madura breed (Bos javanicus × Bos indicus).
Several of the articles, translated into English with the Google translator, say that the male parent was a wolf. However, the word wolf is likely an artifact of the automated translation. For even if a canid-bovid cross were possible — and it is unknown whether such crosses might rarely occur — it seems highly unlikely that a wolf (Canis lupus) would be present at the locale in question to perform the requisite mating, let alone to produce such a hybrid (unless it were perhaps a pet, or a wolf in a zoo). C. lupus is not native to Indonesia. The only possibility for a canid sire, then, would be domestic dog. Unlike wolves, dogs are notorious for their willingness to mate with almost any type of animal. For example, male dogs have been observed mating with ducks, geese and chickens (see the section on dog hybrids elsewhere on this website). A video showing a male dog mating with a cow at right above.
Gape of a thylacine, a recently extinct carnivore.
As the photos show, this animal, which is male, is a very strange-looking creature. In particular, it has a huge mouth opening, as do many carnivores. Cattle and most herbivores have relatively small mouth openings. In this bizarre “calf,” the mouth opening reaches almost to the ears. It also has a lolling tongue like a dog. Also dog-like is the loose fur on the breast visible in the middle photo. Perhaps it’s just my imagination, but there’s something about its winsome expression in the middle picture that reminds me of my own dog in some of his more relaxed and satisfied moments.
However, as can be seen in the enlarged version of the lowermost photo, this animal has no upper incisors. Instead, there is a dental pad at the front of the upper jaw, as in cattle (see picture at right). The lower incisors, clearly visible in the enlargement of the middle picture, are cow-like. However, in the uppermost photo (also enlargeable) the erupting molars seem to be pointed like the carnassials of a dog, instead of flat like a cow’s. The lower jaw is much shorter than the upper and, according to the news reports, the mouth is constantly agape.
A typical banteng cow (Bos javanicus).
A reader’s comment:
“Wow, who would think a dog could even get his willie up there, but hey, she may have been just lying down in the paddy field chewing her cud when that bounder came along. That is one strange animal. Bovound?”
It was healthy enough but, due to its bizarre mouth structure, it could not nurse from its mother, and at the time the photographs were taken, the owner was feeding it by hand, giving it three liters of milk a day. “What is even more strange,” Misnoto told reporters who came to interview him at his home, “is that this calf will not eat grass. It only drinks milk and eats snack foods like those eaten by humans.” (Does it perhaps have a dog-like digestive system?) Misnoto said he took the animal to a vet to see whether its mouth could be sewn together so that it would be able to suck milk from its mother, but the vet said with its mouth sewn it would not be able to chew its food. The mother had given birth to three normal calves in previous years.
According to the news reports, the creature shown is a young animal, which is consistent with the fact that it was still calf-sized, with teeth that had not yet fully erupted. No reports describing it after it had matured have thus far been found, so it may have died before reaching full growth. (If you have information, please contact the website >>)
Cow-dog
— by Chris Millar
A dog atop a cow
A cow agog
Cow-dog
Of course, the photos shown here, which were taken from Indonesian news sources on the internet, may be faked. But if so, they are expertly done. It’s certainly possible, too, that the photos are accurate, but of some animal other than a dog-cow hybrid. In that case, though, the question remains: What is it? There is also the question of what exactly is the nature of the many similar animals described in the reports below.
Supplement: A collection of reports about dog-cow hybrids
In the older literature there are many additional reports about dog-cow hybrids. These additional accounts come primarily from ethnically European countries, so the alleged maternal parents are ordinary cows (Bos taurus).
From a scientific standpoint, the primary value that these reports have as evidence is in the fact that many different people living in different times and places provide what are substantially similar descriptions of this hybrid. In other words, how could these many witnesses, who did not know each other, tell the same general story if that story weren’t true?
The general picture that emerges from all these reports is one of a creature with a dog’s head attached to a calf’s body. Several reports refer to animals with pointed snouts, but most refer to ones having a face more like a pug or a bulldog.
Flat Springs, Ohio. One interesting case, which reportedly had a dog's tail as well as a dog's head, was pictured in the St. Louis, Missouri, Post-Dispatch (Aug. 26, 1896, p. 29):
St. Louis, Missouri, Post-Dispatch (Aug. 26, 1896, p. 29). The report that originally accompanied this picture appears below.
Phoenix, Arizona. A birth similar to the Indonesian case was described in the Nogales, Arizona, Border Vidette (Apr. 1, 1899 p. 1, col. 2). The fact that the report appeared on April Fool's day does suggest, however, that it should be taken with a larger grain of salt than those published on other dates.
A WOLF CALF
A Strange and Horrible Monstrosity at O. H. Christy’s Ranch
Mr. O. H. Christy has lately deliberately destroyed what some men would have looked upon as a fortune, says the Phoenix [Arizona] Republican. A few days ago one of his cows dropped a calf which was a horrible monstrosity. It was perfectly formed as to every part except the head, which was that of a wolf. The ears were long and sharp and the lower one much the longer. The lower lip hung down about three inches and the jaws were filled with small serrated teeth [Note: serrated teeth are characteristic of carnivores, like dogs, not herbivores, like cattle]. On account of the conformation of the mouth this strange beast was unable to suck. It had to be thrown down and milk was poured down its throat from a bottle. This kindly attention was resisted. The canine resemblance was carried beyond the shape of the head. The noise made by the calf was at times precisely like the whimper of a pup, and at others like the whining of one. The sight of it was revolting at times, and Mr. Christy reviewed it each succeeding time with increased disgust. Then he began regarding it with a sort of horror, which grew more pronounced as the animal seemed to thrive and give promise of living. His aversion to it thrived in equal ratio and at length he killed it. Its appearance dead was even more revolting than when it was living. Mr. Christy didn’t want even its dead body to have lodgment on his farm or under it. He built a big bonfire over its carcass and kept it burning until nothing was left of this freak of nature, one of the strangest on record, for there is no record of anything like it.
This calf would have made the fortune of a dime museum proprietor.
Perham, Minnesota. Another ostensible dog-cow hybrid, which from the description, was rather similar to the Indonesian animal, is briefly reported on page 7 (column 2) of the January 4, 1913, issue of The Donaldsonville Chief, a newspaper published in Donaldsonville, Louisiana (source). The report transcribed below was apparently a wire story that appeared in many papers around the U.S.
CALF BORN WITH DOG FACE
A dog-faced calf was born on the farm of Henry Krekelberg, near Perham, Minn., recently. The animal bore a startling resemblance to a dog, but unfortunately the carcass was not preserved. It had the long, narrow muzzle of a dog, droopy ears like a water spaniel, long lips and the teeth on the lower jaw were of the canine variety.
Butler, Georgia. A brief notice about such an animal appeared in the Butler, Georgia, Herald (Dec. 6, 1934, p. 8, col. 2).
A freak calf was born on the farm of Dave Smith, near Waycross [Ware County, Georgia], several days ago, the animal having head, tail and ears like a bull dog, feet similar to a hog, and a body that was too short for that of a normal calf, according to Dr. R. J. Heyde, Ware County agent. The calf died.
Beek, Netherlands. Another report, about a birth in the Netherlands town of Beek, appeared in the Dutch newspaper Limburgsch Dagblad (Sep. 9, 1938, p. 2, col. 2), given here in English translation:
Beek
A Bulldog Calf with Dog Legs
Wonderful Freak of Nature
Thursday, on the farm of Mr. G. Vroemen-Voncken on Burgemeester Janssenstraat, a calf was born that attracted many viewers on account of his monstrous form.
This was a simple freak of nature.
The unusually thick, blunt head of the animal has an extremely striking resemblance to that of a bulldog. Its short legs are no less remarkable, being much like those of a dog, and yet having normally shaped hooves.
The other parts are formed like those of a normal calf, but the animal as a whole is strongly reminiscent of a dog.
Due to its monstrous form the animal was stillborn, but thereby loses nothing of its interest.
The creature has been preserved so that this wondrous freak of nature will remain available to the eyes of science and the world.
Laredo, Texas. Another alleged dog-cow hybrid is described in a news story, entitled Calf Half Bulldog is Born at Laredo on page 2 of the February 13, 1925, issue of The Victoria Advocate, a newspaper published in Victoria, Texas. It originally appeared in the Laredo Times, published in Laredo, Texas and reads as follows:
When is a Calf not a Calf?
When it is half calf and half dog.
And such a freak of the animal kingdom was found right here in Laredo.
Yesterday afternoon John P. Dabbs telephoned to the “freak editor” of The Times to come posthaste to his dairy near the Holding Institute at Fort McIntosh and he would behold a freakiest freak that would furnish the gorm for a good story. And soon we were hastening to the Dabbs Dairy, aboard a Detroit Grief [apparently an old slang term for an automobile]. Reaching there, John Dabbs pointed to something prostrate on a gunny sack and said, “Get an eyeful of that.”
And holy shades of the founder of the Chacon and Zacete [sic], there we saw something that made us rub our eyes to make sure that somebody had not given us a shot of marihuanna [sic] or put some weird fire water under our belt. There lay an animal cold in the grip of death that, had it lived, would have had a hard time to find association with any other animal. The portion of the animal including its forelegs, and shoulders, head, nose, mouth, eyes, ears and neck were those of a British bulldog, while from the shoulders southward it was in the form of a heifer calf. We looked again and again. It was no illusion.
With the consent of Mr. Dabbs the freak animal was kidnapped and brought to Serrano’s Studio and there photographed, and then taken to Muter and Ince and turned over to Taxidermist Muter to be mounted. Talking about seeing pink elephants, legless camels, beakless pelicans and silk alligators during an attack of the d.t., you should, in your truly sober senses, see this half-and-half bulldog calf. And we didn’t even have a drink of water as a Rio Grande cocktail when we got an eyeful of this freak. And the best of the thing is the camera backs us up for we have the photographs of this freak for a magazine story. Bah! bah! Bow! wow!
Oddity Owned by Mrs. Clarence Emery at Perkinsville—Has Prominent Under Jaw and Pug Nose.
Proctorsville, Aug 6.—The very latest in the freak calf line is the center of interest here. A calf marked after a bulldog is the local contribution to the freak "Who's Who" in the animal kingdom, and the remarkable likeness of the calf's face to that of a bulldog has caused a great deal of amazement throughout the countryside.
The forelegs of the calf are short and bowed outward like those of a bulldog, but the hind legs ae those of a bovine, and so long, in comparison with the forelegs, as to be useless to the tiny creature. The eyes are bluging china orbs, such as those of a dog in the street car advertisement, and the jaw is a very prominent outthrust, with a pug nose emphsizing the bulldog apearance of the animal's face. The ears are stuvvy, after the manner of a Boston bulldog.
The calf is owned by Mrs. Clarence M. Emery of Perkinsville, near here.
Asheville, North Carolina. From the Charlotte, North Carolina, News (Apr. 16, 1920, p. 5):
CALF HAS DOG’S HEAD
Asheville, April 16. A calf with a perfect dog’s head was born yesterday at the dairy farm of A. P. Reed on the Fairview Road, although, it died within a few minutes after birth. The calf was dropped by a fine Holstein cow which the owner had recently imported from the north and weighed 100 pounds when found. Mr. Reed, who is one of the most reliable dairymen in this county, has had photos taken of the calf showing a head which looks very much like a bull dog’s head, with dog’s teeth, the tusks being prominent, with whiskers on its nose, the bull dog neck and short round head like a dog.
Massena, New York.From the Potsdam Junction, New York, Commercial Advertiser (Apr. 3, 1917, p. 4, col. 5):
A cow belonging to G. A. Smith of Massena [N.Y.], gave birth to a freak calf recently. The body was nearly normal, but the legs were less than a foot long and the head closely resembling that of a bull dog. The calf lived only a few moments after being born.
The freak calf owned by Bert Steward of Cortland, and which gained wide notoriety by an exclusive story in The Journal several weeks ago, is to be exhibited at fairs in New York State, according to an announcement by the owner. The Tompkins County Fair is included in the itinerary Mr. Stweart has mapped. out.
This calf or "dog-calf" is a genuine freak. It was born on the farm of Earl Kinney in Blodgett Mills, January 15, 1915. Mr. Kinney brought it to Cortland the following day and Mr. Stewart purchased it, sent it to a taxidermist and had it mounted.
Charles Hein, who lives near the Sherman town line, had born on February 16, 1915, a black heifer calf that has a bull dog face. Every feature is exactly like that of a bull dog, the teeth and jaw being formed like a dog, and it puts its tongue out like a dog. It also makes a noise like a dog instead of a calf. It is a strange freak and he cannot account for it.
Thanks, Gene. I think it's fascinating and definitely a trade secret of the pedigree dog and cat breeders. I breed pedigree dogs and I always wondered how we got from a wolf to a chihuahua or a pug, and when I read about the coon cats and the bear dogs on your website and realised that breeders had been getting unique traits from other species, then backbreeding until only that particular trait was present, it was like the scales had fallen from my eyes.
A comment from a visitor
Mapledale, New York. From the Margaretville, New York, Catskill Mountain News (Dec. 6, 1912, p. 1):
Supt. Chas. Knapp of Furlough Lodge [near Mapledale] brought a calf’s head to this office Wednesday that resembled in nearly every particular the head of a bulldog. The lower jaw was undershot and carried protruding teeth just like a bulldog. The nostrils were down on either side of the jaw. It was necessary to take a second look to be sure that it was not the head of a bulldog that he had. The freak elicited much comment on the street here.
Dekalb Junction, New York. From the Malone, New York, Farmer (Apr. 15, 1903, p. 1):
Butcher Sawyer, of Dekalb Junction has a freak calf. The head resembles a pug dog. The legs have hoofs but resemble a dog’s in other respects and are about as long as a pug dog’s. The ears and tail look as though they had been trimmed, while the eyes are as large as those of a cow.
Bellport, New York. From the Babylon, New York, South Side Signal (Nov. 25, 1899, p. 2):
A Monstrosity at Bellport
A monstrosity in the shape of a calf with the head of a bulldog was recently born to a cow on the farm of William Mackintosh, at Bellport. Dr. W. B. Kelly, a Patchogue veterinary surgeon, who had charge of the case, says the calf was perfectly formed except as to its head and legs. The head was shaped like that of a bull dog, with the round face and the eyes of a calf. The legs were short and stumpy, thick set and shaped like a dog’s leg. The monstrosity died soon after it was born. Dr. Kelly says it was one of the most peculiar things he has met in his long practice.
Gilboa, New York. From the Gloversville, New York, The Daily Leader (Jan. 26, 1889, p. 3):
What is It?
Gilboa, a place not many miles south of Amsterdam, has had several mild sensations during the past six months. The latest novelty that has set tongues wagging is the birth of what a youngster there has termed as “The bald-headed puppy calf on the Stryker farm.” The monstrosity is certainly enough to wonder and think and talk about, as Gilboaites, big and small, young and old, are all doing. It was a gentle meek-looking cow, belonging to Andrew Baldwin, that gave birth to the queer looking object that is a bulldog in form, with the exception of its feet, which are formed like those of a tiny calf. Its upper jaw contains no teeth and there is not a particle of hair on any part of its body. It has a genuine dog's tail, which it wags when pleased. Its whine is peculiarly like that of a cur. The mother looks askance at her offspring, as if to say: “What is it?” The question is a natural one.—Amsterdam Recorder.
A remarkable calf was born recently on the farm of W. B. Christy about six miles from Potsdam [N.Y.]. The calf had the head of a dog with the hide and hoofs of the ordinary calf, although its hair was a trifle long. It lived but a short time. The dam of the freak animal was an ordinary dairy cow in an apparently normal condition.
Mule footed hogs, “wonderful malformed sheep,” live mastodons and sea serpents are all thrown in the shade by the reports which come from Ireland of a “bulldog” or “dragon” calf. The creature is the offspring of a 2-year-old Jersey heifer belonging to Colonel Doud, of Marcus Landing. A front view of the monstrosity, when its body is hidden from sight, instantly suggests the presence of a good sized bulldog. It has the drooping red lips, the cropped ears and bony head to perfection. The fore feet seem to be a cross between claws, paws and hoofs. The hind ones are calf hoofs all right enough, but they are turned the wrong way, the result being that the creature appears to have the tail on the wrong end.
A side view of the head, especially when the calf’s mouth is held or propped open, reminds one of the pictures of the old oriental dragons, the enormous lidless, staring eyes adding to the resemblance. Some accounts of the freak say that it has the “wool of a dog on the forequarters and the regulation Jersey hair behind.” There is no noticeable difference in either the color or texture of the beast’s hairy covering. One odd thing is a double row of what are said to be “real dragon scales” along the belly.—St. Louis Republic.
Joseph Goron, the taxidermist, has just set up a monstrosity in the shape of a cross between an English bull dog and a Jersey calf, says the St. Albans Messenger. It was dropped by a full blooded Jersey heifer, and lived a few hours. Its head is an exact reproduction of that of a bull dog with cropped ears, the short square nose, and protuding massive underjaw. It is covered with hair like a calf and of the same color as the usual Jersey. Its tail is merely a tuft of hair something like that of a rabbit, while its feet are cloven hoofs something smaller than those of a calf. The eyes and teeth are those of a calf, but it is in other respects a bull dog. The animal measures two feet nine inches from tip of nose to tail and stands 18 inches high. This was the second calf-dog born in the same neighborhood in Franklin, and it is a puzzle to account for this freak of nature. Mr. Goron has set the animal in the best style, and doubtless some museum proprietor will eventually get hold of it.
The next case was reported from the town of St. Georgen in what is now northwestern Austria. An account of the event appeared in the January 16, 1909, issue of the Austro-Hungarian newspaper Neue Warte am Inn:
Freak of Nature. In St. Georgen, near Tollet, a heifer recently gave birth to an offspring that was half calf, but was more like a dog. The head of this monstrosity genuinely resembled that of a bulldog, only the lower jaw was defective so that the large tongue lolled. Also the relatively short forelimbs were attached too far back in comparison to their natural position. The young calf, which was born dead, had to be cut in two due to difficulties during the course of delivery. When the rear half of the calf could not be extracted, the mother had to be slaughtered. The rear portion was more like that of an ordinary calf, but the legs were too short. Farmers will certainly find this most interesting news. [Translated by E. M. McCarthy. Original German.]
The next case reportedly occurred in Woodstock, Vermont, but appeared in papers across the country. The article quoted here appeared on page 6 (column 4) of the July 10, 1907, issue of the Daily Arizona Silver Belt, a newspaper published in Globe, Arizona (source). This individual was apparently completely viable.
Calf Has Dog’s Head
The oddest freak animal born in Vermont in many years has appeared in the barnyard of H. L. Jones of this village [Woodstock, Vt.]. It is a calf which seems to be half bovine and half bull terrier dog.
The hybrid has the coat, color, body and hoofs of a calf, but its ears are cropped short, its tail is “screwed,” and its lower jaw is undershot. The nose is wrinkled and its lower teeth are exactly like those of a dog. The animal wags its tail after the manner of a terrier, and has a habit of sniffing like one.
The day the calf was born it was taken from its mother, a fine cow of two years, and brought up on a bottle because its teeth made it unsafe for it to obtain its nourishment in the natural way. It is a healthy specimen, and up to the present time it has thrived and grown.
Hundreds of folks have called to see the oddity and Mr. Jones has been offered a considerable sum for it in case he can bring it to the weaning stage.—Woodstock, Vt., dispatch to New York World.
Additional details about the Woodstock case can be found here.
Another Vermont case is reported on page 3, column 3, of the January 14, 1916, issue of the Middlebury Register, a newspaper published in Middlebury, Vermont (source).
CALF WITH BULL DOG’S HEAD
A freak calf was born recently on the W. B. Locklin farm in Richford [a town in northwestern Vermont on the Canadian border]. The calf had a bull dog’s head, ears and tail. The nose and mouth were like those of a small pug dog, the tongue was about one-half inch wide or half round and protruded from its mouth about three inches and turned up to the forehead. The body was large for a young calf, the legs were about 10 inches long and natural in appearance except that they were large as those of a yearling.
The foregoing was the second case of a cow-dog hybrid published in the Middlebury Register, given that the following is reported on page 8, column 1, of the April 10, 1902, issue of the Ticonderoga Sentinel, a newspaper published in Ticonderoga, New York (source).
C. Mathews, says the Middlebury Register, has a freak in the shape of an animal with the body of a calf, the short head, short ears and protruding under jaw of a bull dog, carnivorous teeth and a curly tail. The monstrosity is weak in its fore legs, and as the cattle are afraid of it, the owner feeds it as a “bottle baby.” A large number of curious people have been to the Mathews farm to look at it.
A notice in the Delegate Argus (Jul. 23, 1914, p. 1, col. 1), a newspaper published in Delegate, New South WalesAustralia. The community known as The Heart lies just east of the town of Sale, Victoria.
Another report of same sort appeared in The Evening Bulletin (May 8, 1901, p. 2, col. 3), a newspaper published in Maysville, Kentucky.
Mr. William Marsh, of Moransburg, reports the birth of a monstrosity on his farm a few days ago in the shape of a calf. It was perfectly developed in every respect, except that its head resembled that of a dog more than the head of a calf. The ears were very small, and back of them was a development or formation of the skin that could be rolled over the head somewhat like a hood.
The first of this week a cow belonging to Geo. Alden gave birth to a freak calf. Its hair was long and shaggy like that of a shepherd dog; its ears were like those of a water spaniel; its face and teeth those of a bull dog, and it had but one eye, located in the center of its forehead. It lived only a short time.
Another report appeared in the Wray, Colorado, Rattler (Apr, 20, 1901, p. 1):
A freak calf was exhibited at the Boyes harness emporium this week. The head and legs are as nearly the shape of those of a bull dog as one could imagine. The nether jaw protrudes, while the nose is very much dished. The calf was brought in from the —ll ranch. It only lived a few hours.
A Pennsylvania case is reported in The Washington Times (Apr. 15, 1906, p. 8, sec. B), a newspaper published in Washington, D.C.:
CALF WITH DOG’S HEAD BORN IN PENNSYLVANIA
Altoona, Pa., April 14.—A calf with a dog’s head is the queer freak of nature which for the past ten days has been causing wonderment among the farming population of Mineral Point. The strange object is the offspring of a cow belonging to Charles Page, on Shaffer Hill, and it has been visted by a large number of people.
Yet another alleged dog-cow hybrid is mentioned in a news story in the Lewiston Evening Journal (May 12, 1915, p. 12), a newspaper published in Lewiston, Maine. The following is the relevant passage:
Over at E. J. Boucher’s taxidermy rooms in Auburn [Maine] is just such a specimen [i.e., a cow-dog hybrid]. It was brought to Mr. Boucher to be mounted by Dr. J. H. Glover veterinary surgeon in Oxford [Maine]. The animal is in many ways like an ordinary calf. It is long haired, black and white, with the white star on its forehead. The funny little tail is black and white also. The head is abnormally large and most pronouncedly like a bulldog’s. The jaw is heavy and projecting, the eyes are small and bulging, not meek and mild like the ordinary gentle bossy. The ears in size and shape are like a calf’s, but are set far back on the head, near the base of the skull, instead of high on the forehead. There are no traces of horns. The teeth are those of the cow species. The neck is extremely short, unlike the long graceful one found on most farm animals and the head, bulldog-like, rests close to the shoulders. The hips are also those of a dog and the hind legs are stretched straight out behind with the gamble joint reversed. The animal lies stretched out, its forepaws extended and its hind legs straight behind it, like any dog might lie when tired. About as queer looking as anything, are the split hoofs at the base of the short dog legs. The legs to the ordinary observer are those of the dog but the feet present a startling contrast. The calf-dog would stand low from the ground. This specimen was born alive and lived for some three hours.
A one-sentence mention of such a hybrid appeared in the Omaha Daily Bee (May 5, 1889, p. 1, sec. 2), a newspaper published in Omaha, Nebraska: “A monstrosity of a calf with a dog’s head was born at Palatka, Fla.”
The following appeared in the June 24, 1881, issue of the Viennese newspaper Welt Blatt (p. 3, col. 3):
A monstrosity. Today at the calf market a live calf with a bulldog’s head was purchased for the Veterinary Institute. It weighed 35 kg and came from Wallsee.
[Translated by E. M. McCarthy. Original German.]
The Veterinary Institute, Vienna (German: Thierarznei-Institut) was the forerunner of the University of Veterinary Medicine, Vienna (Veterinärmedizinische Universität Wien), which is the oldest school of veterinary medicine in German-speaking Europe. Its Veterinary Pathological Museum houses the largest collection of veterinary pathological specimens in the world so this specimen may still be in their holdings. Wallsee-Sindelburg is a town in the district of Amstetten in the Austrian state of Niederösterreich.
The following appeared in The Somerset Press (Jan. 27, 1881, p. 1, col. 7), a newspaper published in Somerset, Ohio:
Mr. McGuire, a farmer living near Canal Lewisville, Coshocton County, has an animal on his farm which is a curious monstrosity. It is the body of a calf, the head of a bull-dog; has no legs below the knee-joints,‡ is minus a tail, and its sex is indistinguishable. This apparent cross between the bovine and the canine species was calved a few days ago, is as live as could be expected, and bids fair to live its natural lifetime. Still, it seems to us that we have heard of this monstrosity before, else one very much like it.
‡ The incidence of stump appendages is apparently elevated in distant hybrids.
Yet another such account, one describing a viable animal, appeared in the Grand River Times (Jun. 25, 1856, p. 2, col. 3), a newspaper published in Grand Haven, Michigan:
A Natural Born Fusionist.—There is on exhibition in Cincinnati one of the greatest monstrosities ever known. It is a half calf half bulldog. It is but a few days old, born a few miles up Licking River, on the Kentucky side. Its head is round like a bulldog, its under jaw the longest, its teeth pointed, and so irregular that it never can eat grass. It is short and bow-legged, has short, round ears, and a tail like a dog. It sucks its mother (which is a small two year old heifer) sitting on its haunches. It is constantly snuffling and smelling round like a dog after meat. It has hoofs, but no signs of horns. It is a natural born fusionist, and worth of the study of anatomists and abolitionists.
A brief notice (from the Elizabeth City Carolinian) appeared in theWinston, North Carolina, The Progressive Farmer (Nov. 8, 1892, p. 3, col. 1):
A live calf with a bull dog’s head—a wonderful freak of nature—was one of the interesting curiosities at the Fair last week. The entire head had all the formations of the bull dog.
A wonderful freak of nature appeared on the farm of Seymour Stoddard of Water Street. It was a calf which has a pug dog’s head and nose, with a long, lower jaw and a short pug neck and a dog’s tail and legs, and measures fourteen inches from his tail to his head and is as thick set as any pug dog, but his feet have a divided hoof.
The following appeared in The Saturday Budget (June 4, 1892, p. 3), a newspaper published in Quebec City, Quebec, Canada.
A Calf with a Dog’s Head.—There is at present on Mr. Joseph Samson's farm, Levis, a calf recently born, which by a freak of nature bears an immense head, the shape of a large dog’s The animal is viewed by large crowds every day. It has two rows of immense teeth, which gives the monster a wicked appearance.
A [Fort Worth Daily] Gazette man was shown one of the most curious freaks of nature yesterday ever seen. It was the premature offspring of a cow on the place of Mr. Joe Born, living near town. The monstrosity consisted in the fact that its head was a perfect facsimile of a bull dog’s, even to the ears and grinning teeth. The rest of the body was formed exactly like that of an ordinary calf, but the contrast between the face and the body was almost strartling. The freak was dead when found, and could not have survived its birth long, even if alive when brought forth. It was about two feet in length, of a pretty fawn color.
The following notice notice appeared in the New Haven, Connecticut, Morning Journal and Courier (Mar. 20, 1884, p. 3, col. 7):
A Calf with a Dog’s Head
Providence, March 19.—A strange freak of nature was reported at Bristol, R. I., today. A cow belonging to Benjamin R. Wilson gave birth to a calf having the head of a bulldog. The hoofs were shaped like a dog’s paw. The calf was stillborn.
The case just quoted is of especial interest because it describes an animal that had not only a dog’s head, but also dog’s paws, which suggests hybridization as a more reasonable explanation than a simple developmental mutation.
A cow belonging to Isaac Woodin, of Ellicott, gave birth to a calf a few days since, the legs head and body of which were formed exactly like those parts of a bull-dog. The feet, under teeth and ears had no malformation, but the rest of the animal was a perfect representation of a dog.
Ellicott is about 25 miles southeast of Westfield.
Another brief notice about a dog-cow hybrid appeared in the Cincinnati, Ohio Daily Star (Jul. 15, 1879, p. 1, col. 6):
A Calf with the Bark On
Special to the Star.
Jeffersonville,‡ Ind., July 15.—A calf with a genuine dog’s head, recently born in this county, is still alive and growing. It has the voice of a dog and keeps up such an incessant barking that the neighbors are sorry it ever came around. It is owned by a farmer near Memphis.
‡ Jeffersonville is a town on the southern border of Indiana. Memphis is an unincorporated town, lying north of Jeffersonville in the same county (Clark).
The following announcement appeared in the Bloomfield, Pennsylvania Times (May 7, 1873, p. 4):
Mr. Schultz, of Penn Station, Westmoreland County, is the owner of a cow which gave birth to a singular monstrosity the other day. The head of the animal strongly resembled a bull dog, the body was that of a calf, though shorter, and the legs were very short and thick. The deformed bovine lived but a short time.
A brief article, appearing in the Wheeling, West Virginia, Daily Intelligencer (Sept. 24, 1879, p. 4), describes a viable hybrid:
Freak of Nature
Mr. D. L. Reynolds, of South Strabane township, Washington County, Pa., has on his farm a cow that gave birth to a monstrosity last Saturday morning. The upper part of the head and body resembles a bull dog; also the lower parts of the hind legs, from the knees down, while the feet are those of a calf. The fore legs resemble a human arm, having the feet divided into five fingers, right and left, similar to the human hand. The under jaw is that of a calf. On Saturday evening the same cow gave birth to a perfect calf, and both are living and doing well. This freak of nature has created considerable excitement in the neighborhood, and many persons have visited the farmhouse to see it.
A cow belonging to Henry House, Foster township, Faribault County, has given birth to a calf which is a complete monstrosity, having a head like a bull dog, low beetling brow, short pug nose, and teeth well extended in front, with a look of pure cussedness. Its body in front was shaped like a regular calf, while its hinder parts were like a greyhound’s even to its tail.
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Report about a dog-cow (Woodstock, Vermont, Spirit of the Age, Apr. 10, 1878, p. 3).
Wolcott [N.Y.] has a “freak of nature” in the form of a calf with a dog’s head, or rather—say half calf half dog—and you have it. The head is dog, the ears are dog, the legs are dog; the body is calf, the hair is calf, the feet are calf; but the tail, the wonderful tail, is like Alva Rude’s last egg, decidedly in doubt.
An Australian hybrid is described in the Armidale, New South Wales, Express and New England General Advertiser (Apr. 8, 1881, p. 7):
An extraordinary phenomenon, and one which seems to be without example in the annals of science, has just taken place in our town. A cow has given birth, three days ago, to a creature half dog and half calf. The head is that of a bull dog, with its cock-up nose, broad forehead, and ears short and straight. At the same time the organs of mastication are imperfect. The greater number of the teeth are those of the dog, but those are large at the base, and are only like a calf’s at the back of the mouth. The hair is that of the calf, viz., tawny-red, but the hinder part of the creature is like a bull dog, short tail, and smooth legs. The foot resembles the ruminating animal, that is to say, the nails being separated by a biflex sinew, but they spread out something like a paw. What is most remarkable about the monstrosity is that it is a hermaphrodite. The female sex predominates, and approaches the canine tribe. The teats are almost perfect. The creature seems healthy, and drinks milk with ease.
So this hybrid was supposed to have been viable. The fact that the Armidale individual was a hermaphrodite is not so surprising as the newspaper article suggests, given that hybrid crosses more often produce hermaphrodites than do ordinary matings.
A third Australian report appeared on page 6 of the Apr. 30, 1896, issue of the Newcastle Morning Herald and-Miners Advocate (col. 1), a newspaper published in Newcastle, New South Wales (Access original). It reads as follows:
A monstrosity in the shape of a calf that has the head, tail, and skin of a dog, and the feet and teeth of its own kind, has been stuffed, and is now on exhibition in Invercargill (N.Z.).
An additional case appeared on page 7 of the Sept. 17, 1896, issue of the Rock Island, Illinois newspaper The Argus (Access original). An article about a fair then in town lists the exhibits on display, among which was
a freak of nature called “Taurus, the dog calf,” [a] wonderful monstrosity given birth by a cow. This strange creature, which has attracted much attention from the curious, was bought by John Dunbar, who has had it mounted for exhibition. It…weighed 125 pounds at birth.
Another article about the same animal (“Taurus, the dog calf”) appeared on page 2 of the January 15, 1896, issue of the Bellows Falls Times, a newspaper published in Bellows Falls, Vermont (Access original):
A Monstrosity
C. O. Davis of White Cloud, Kansas, a taxidermist, and a brother of H. B. Davis of this place. He recently mounted a monstrosity, half calf and half dog. The local paper describes it as follows.
It was given birth by a cow belonging to Mr. Dunbar, of Guide Rock, Neb., and is part calf and part dog. It weighed 125 pounds and is covered with short dog hair. The head has a perfect bull dog shape with a calf’s expression in the face. One ear is like a calf’s and the other is like a dog’s the neck is thick and short. The shoulders are about the same size, but the right hip and hind leg are large like that of a calf, while the left one is small like that of a dog. The tail is smooth and covered with short hair, except a bunch of long hair right at the end. It has two tongues, one dog tongue and one calf tongue (the tongue is preserved in alcohol); the dog tongue has hair on it. It has calf’s feet, with claws on the bottom.
An additional case appeared on page 3 of the May 28, 1903, issue of the Bennington Banner and Reformer, a newspaper published in Bennington, Vermont (Access original):
A two-year-old heifer, owned by E. G. and A. W. Norton of Vergennes recently gave birth on their farm in New Haven to a monstrosity. It is about as large as a year-old bull dog and the head, tail and body closely resemble those of that animal. The legs are short like those of a dog, but instead of claws this freak of nature is provided with hoofs. The body is perfectly formed and the skin, which is covered with hair of a dark brown color, is like that of a calf. It was born dead but measures have been taken to preserve it and the Messrs. Norton are thinking of having it mounted.
And in volume 6 (p. 70, col. 2) of the Agricultural Journal of the Cape of Good Hope, veterinary F. W. Allen, commenting on a monstrous birth that he himself delivered (Access original), writes:
The head was much similar to a bulldog’s and for that reason they are commonly called “bulldog calves” in this district and are pretty frequently met.
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An ostensible stillborn dog-cow hybrid. Image: Armed Forces Inst. of Pathology.
Bulldog calves. In the news reports quoted on this page, calves described as having bulldog heads likely had the appearance of the animal pictured above. Some veterinarians, although they refer to such births as “bulldog calf syndrome,” allege they are simply abnormalities caused by genetic mutation, not hybridization. Veterinary pathologist J. Carroll Woodard states that “Bulldog calves usually are aborted before the seventh month. The animals are grotesquely malformed with protruding tongue; thick, rotated and abducted limbs; absent hard palate; and umbilical hernia and protruding viscera.”
However, there does not seem to be any published research characterizing the genetics producing this phenotype (if anyone knows of such research, please notify this website through the contact page). So the question remains whether such animals might be the result of hybridization.
Some of the news reports allege that such animals often have the teeth of dogs. Thus, in the description of a bulldog calf born in Armidale, NSW, transcribed on this page, it is stated that “The greater number of the teeth are those of the dog, but those are large at the base, and are only like a calf’s at the back of the mouth.”
Such statements speak against the idea that this phenotype could be produced by a single mutation, since a single mutation would not alter both the cranial region to make it resemble the head of a bulldog and cause these animals to develop teeth like a dog.
An ostensible stillborn dog-cow hybrid birthed by a cow.
Dog-cow hybrids: Some early reports.
It is of interest in the present context that in a list of deformed births, the Swiss anatomist Albrecht von Haller (1774, vol. 1, p. 562) mentions a hybrid of this type (“un veau avec la tête d’un chien”), and that the Italian physician Antonio Vallisneri (1661-1730) mentions an alleged hybrid of this type. Thus, in his Opere fisico-mediche (Vallisneri, 1733, vol. 3, p. 453b) he comments that
While I was on holiday in the countryside, I heard that a cow had birthed a creature half-wolf, half-calf and wholly monstrous. I hurried to see it, but judged it a pure calf, though imperfectly developed. He did have a bloated belly and a sharp snout, but despite my diligent examination, I detected no mixing of any other kind. [Translated by E. M. McCarthy. Original Italian.]
Though Vallisineri dismissed the possibility that this animal might be a hybrid, the presence of a “sharp snout” seems to connect his “calf” more with the Indonesian specimen pictured near the top of this page than with any ordinary cow.
This section records several reported cases of dog-cow hybrid conjoined twins (other cases: case 1, case 2, case 3).
In Australia, a “calf” was born at the newly founded Hawkesbury Agricultural College, Richmond, New South Wales, in 1894 that had two heads, one of them “like a bull-dog’s.” The account, which appeared in the Windsor and Richmond Gazette, the local newspaper, on October 13, 1894, reads as follows:
A cow, the property of the H. A. College, gave birth to a calf the other day having two heads, a double-jointed body, eight legs. If it had only lived, what sport the boys would have had with it. One of the heads of the calf was like a bull-dog’s. It is to be hoped that the teaching of scientific farming at the College is not going to produce dairy cattle with eight legs; if so, what sort of a time will the students have when milking? An effort was made to preserve the monstrosity until Wednesday for the inspection of Mr. Pottie, the Vet-science lecturer.
An early case Liceti (1665, 18) mentions an ostensible hybrid conjoined twin birthed by a cow, a calf with two dog’s heads with dog’s teeth, but seven hooves like a calf.
Another report about a hybrid conjoined twin appeared on page 4 of the April 26, 1911, issue of the Gouverneur Free Press, a newspaper published in Gouverneur, New York (source):
Dr. G. H. Summerfeldt, V. S. [i.e., veterinary surgeon], of Clinton Street is today engaged in the work of mounting a monstrosity in the form of a calf the like of which was never seen in this section before. The freak was sent here by James Reed of Watertown and is a full grown heifer calf from the breast of which appears the head and shoulders of another calf which has an almost perfectly formed pug dog head. The freak has seven legs and on one foot there are three toes, and the whole combination is without a doubt the rarest freak ever shown here.
An additional dog-cow hybrid conjoined twin is briefly mentioned on page 5 (column 2) of the July 1, 1915, issue of The Butler Weekly Times, a newspaper published in Butler, Missouri (source):
The Holden Enterprise [a newspaper published in Holden, Missouri] is responsible for the latest freak story. According to that paper a Johnson County cow last week gave birth to a calf with two heads, one of them a dog’s head.
Another case of a dog-cow hybrid conjoined twin is mentioned inthe New York Sun, a newspaper published in New York, (Mar. 28, 1897, p. 15, col. 7):
Williamsburg, Ky., March 22.—A cow belonging to Dr. Ellison of this place gave birth to a calf having eight legs, two tails, two bodies, and one head. The bodies come together at the shoulder, and the head is more in the shape of a dog's head than that of a calf.
An old, unusual case. The renowned Danish physician and anatomist Thomas Bartholin (1673, pp. 56-57) reported that a cow died trying to give birth and that, when she was cut open afterwards, a healthy calf and 30 living puppies were found. This report seemed entirely far-fetched until two subsequent American reports were encountered, which both described a cow pregnant with one ordinary calf and many other, tiny calves, one of which also mentions a similar case as having occurred in Ohio. One of these reports is recorded here as a screenshot (below). The other, quoted immediately below, originally appeared in the Indianapolis Journal but is taken here from the Brownville, Nebraska, Advertiser (May 8, 1879, p. 4, col. 4):
A Cow's Litter of Calves
Greenfield, Ill., March 24.—A few weeks ago readers of the Journal were informed of a remarkable freak of nature transpiring in one of the counties of Ohio, which was a cow giving birth to twenty or more calves. Many of the people, no doubt, discredited the statement. Learning that the foregoing had been duplicated in this city, and that John W. Ryan could give full information, your correspondent called upon him and learned the following: On Saturday afternoon a young heifer, owned by Mr. Ryan, gave birth to one red calf and thirty-one monstrosities. Mr. Ryan described the monstrosities as about the size of large mice. Their heads, legs, and bodies resembled those of calves, only there was no hair upon them. The probable weight of these unnatural animals was from two to three ounces each. The red calf is living, while the others were dead when born. Mr. Ryan is one of our substantial business men and has the reputation of being truthful and honest, so there is no cause to doubt the above statement.—Indianapolis Journal.
Above: A news report about a similar case (Hickman, Kentucky, Courier, Jun. 27, 1868, p. 4).
The following is a list of reported dog crosses discussed on this site. Some of these crosses are much better documented than others (as indicated by the reliability arrow). Moreover, some are extremely disparate, and so must be taken with a large grain of salt. But all have been reported at least once.
There was a young dog-cow from Hangchow,
who couldn't tell dog chow from cow chow.
So he never would eat,
unless he could meet
with a sweet canine teat on a milk cow.
Video showing a dog mating with a cow (viewer discretion advised):
An ostensible stillborn dog-cow hybrid birthed by a cow; note presence of both hooves and a puppy-like head (see discussion of this specimen below).
A typical banteng cow (Bos javanicus). 
St. Louis, Missouri, Post-Dispatch (
A notice in the Delegate Argus (
Above: An ad in the Tacoma, Washington, Times (
Report about a dog-cow (Woodstock, Vermont, Spirit of the Age, Apr. 10, 1878, p. 3).
An ostensible stillborn dog-cow hybrid. Image: Armed Forces Inst. of Pathology.
Above: A news report about a similar case (Hickman, Kentucky, Courier, Jun. 27, 1868, p. 4).
Cat-rabbit hybrids?
