Meet this Osgood teen and her pet cows

Steven Harmeyer
Jul 9
3 min read

Watch the original story here:

(OSGOOD, Ind.) – We first met Osgood teenager Lynze Kegley and her friend, Chester, in October 2022.

That story came just weeks after Chester accidentally walked off the farm but was safely returned by Good Samaritans who found him on U.S. 421.

Fast forward to 2026, Lynze is happy to report that there have been no more incidents, however, there are some new additions to the family!

Chester is a mini Hereford and he arrived after Lynze asked her parents if it was possible to get a mini cow as a pet.

“We did research and learned that mini Hereford’s are very sweet and gentle-natured and then we found Chester and he was the sweetest ever,” Lynze recalled.

The two have formed a close bond and Chester has been a big part of the family since he first arrived in 2021.

They’ve taken him on trips including one time to a pet store to meet Santa.

Lynze has also taken Chester into Jac-Cen-Del Elementary to teach students about Herefords.

Chester is also well-trained and can do several tricks: He can back up on command, shut the gate on his own, and plays bounce ball with Lynze.

"He'll race me up the driveway when I go to get the trash cans, and when we leave for vacation or for a few days, he'll make this sound that I think means he's happy I am back," she laughed.

https://youtu.be/-19XWgEiDLU

Sounds like a great pet! So, here's the question... Why have only one Hereford when you can have more?

Last year, the family learned that Chester’s previous owner, who lives three hours away, had a prize cow and calf that they were willing to sell.

Lynze was expecting to just get the calf, named Willow, and figured the heifer was going to someone else.

“But my parents surprised me at Christmas that we were getting both Willow and the heifer, named Iris," Lynze laughed.

Unlike most cows on local farms, Chester, Willow and Iris will never be butchered. They will also never be sold.

She got Chester when she was in fifth grade. Lynze is now a Jac-Cen-Del junior....and Chester is now a dad!

Chester and Iris recently had a bull calf named Bocephus that was sold. There is a unique market for mini Hereford cows that can attract potential buyers from as far away as Oklahoma and Texas.

Lynze expects more calves in the future and said, "I eventually plan on keeping one of Chester’s future babies just to preserve the generations."

She says Chester and other mini Hereford’s are more similar to dogs than people realize. However, there are some unique challenges that come with having pet cows.

“When a cow gets hurt it’s a bit harder to figure out how to take care of them, because you can’t take them to the vet. The vet has to come to you,” she explained.

Lynze says one of her favorite parts of having the mini Hereford’s is educating younger kids about the breed.

“The kids will be like, ‘Is this Chester?’ and they get really excited to learn about them. One year I brought Chester and the next year I took Willow to show them the difference between bulls and heifers,” she said.