Watch: Cow fakes being asleep to avoid being milked

Doris the cow
Doris the cow

A dairy cow on the Isle of Wight has become an internet sensation for “pretending” to be asleep at milking time.

Doris, who is part of a herd of 200 cows, has amassed 1.5 million views on social media and was even featured on a US news programme.

The TikTok video shows farmhand John Brodie trying to coax the now famous Friesian outside on a cold March morning, but she refuses to stand up, instead resting her head on the ground.

Mr Brodie says the footage, which he filmed at Reads Farm near Newport, demonstrated how the bovine was “more person than cow”.

In the video, John can be heard saying: “Everyone’s out getting ready milking, except for Doris.

“Doris. Come on. I can see your ears moving.”

In another video shared online the farmer can be heard saying: “You’re a mischief maker, will you leave my coffee alone please?”

Mr Brodie filmed the dozing cow with the mere intention of entertaining his wife Laura.

“Laura thought it was funny and put it on TikTok - I didn’t even know about it,” he said.

However the incident was noticed by Radio One DJ Greg James, who played the audio on his show the following day.

Thousands then began expressing sympathy for Doris’s reluctance to get up too early.

One commenter wrote “I identify as Doris”, while another claimed the cow as their own “spirit animal”.

CNN took notice of the Hampshire cow, with reporter Jeanne Moos aptly conducting the interview.

“Doris has got a fantastic personality. She is definitely more person than cow”, said Mr Brodie.

“She put her head back down thinking she was gonna get away with it just to push her luck and be cheeky,” he added.