Enormous bull comes to get bread and a head scratch

Gus is an enormous bull, tipping the scales at about 2,000 pounds. He is solid muscle and extremely powerful. Yet, he is a big softy who loves a slice of bread, or ten, as well as a good head scratch. Dave has been visiting Gus every week or two as he walks or cycles past the beautiful farm where Gus lives.

Gus got so big from eating big meals and he loves bread most of all. What's surprising about him is that despite his tremendous size, he's as friendly and gentle as a pet dog. By nature, bulls are usually grumpy, aggressive and not to be trusted. It's never wise to turn your back on one or to put yourself in a position where you could be injured. They have enough power and strength to do a lot of damage in a very short time if they chose to.

But Gus is an exceptional bull. He was raised on a farm where he had a lot of interaction with people right from birth.

Gus roams in a lush meadow on a beautiful farm in Millbrook, Ontario. He’s got a lot of company too. He’s the only male in a herd of about 30 lovely female cows. Gus is living the life!

Gus developed an appetite for grains of all sorts, especially bread. This is not unusual for cattle, and Cornell University even did an extensive study to determine the effects of feeding cattle bread and other baked goods. The result was that the animals did very well on a diet that was very high in bread. Gus' taste is not that unusual. What is unusual is the way he will approach someone for a slice of doughy goodness. He literally begs like a dog would beg for a slice of sirloin.

The farmer who owns Gus is fine with him having visitors, and with him being hand fed. If you walk slowly into Gus’ pasture and you call him, he’s likely to wander over curiously. He’ll actually hustle a bit if he sees that you have a slice of bread.

A tongue, longer than seems possible, shoots out and wraps around the slice of bread like a large hand. The slice of bread completely disappears with about three quick chews.

Gus doesn’t disappear when the bread is gone. He’s as fond of a good head scratch and face rub as he is of the treats. Gus will turn his head and nudge you like a big dog does when you stop petting it. It’s hard to tell which part Gus likes best!