It was a peaceful summer evening, with beautiful stars shining and frogs and crickets chirping. The cows were up for milking and we were enjoying this quiet time at the barn.

Chocolate was in the barn contentedly munching her hay while being milked. Suddenly, out of the blue, she leaped back, eyes wide with fear, and made a very strange noise that only a cow who feels severely threatened can make.

The milk can got pulled over on its side, which scared her even more and caused her to kick at the milking claw on her udder. This made the claw come off and, because the vacuum was running, it started to hiss. By now, she was absolutely terrified!

After spending considerable time trying unsuccessfully to get her calmed down, I decided I had to find the cause of this apparently life-threatening situation. I was a bit confused because I hadn’t seen or heard a thing. Upon close examination, I found a tiny, rather innocent-looking tree frog right where Chocolate was still fearfully staring.

Oh my! Could it be?! I always considered Chocolate to be an especially smart cow. Well, I captured the little bugger and released him outside. This calmed Chocolate considerably. After a thorough look around for any further danger, she consented to eating her hay and finish being milked. Of course, the milk was ruined, so there was none for us that night!

Never underestimate the power of a frog. They can be deadly!