Loose Cow Wanders Through Pleasanton Streets Wednesday Night

PLEASANTON, CA — A brown cow broke free Wednesday night in Pleasanton for a stroll along city streets, causing major slowdowns and a broken windshield, according to police. Holy cow!

Pleasanton police received more than a dozen calls about a cow causing slowdowns along Bernal Avenue and Stanley Boulevard at around 5:50 p.m. Wednesday, spokesperson Teri Yan told Patch. Pleasanton officers trailed the cow for a while at about 5 mph - possibly the slowest police chase in history.

At around 6:50 p.m., the cow collided with a Tesla and smashed the windshield, though neither the cow nor the driver were injured.

By about 7 p.m., local ranchers from Danville and Livermore successfully corralled the cow into a trailer so they could return it to its home in Pleasanton.

“Shout out to the local ranchers for helping with this "udderly amoosing" situation!” the department quipped on Facebook.

Pleasanton seems to be a destination for loose animals. In November 2020, a loose emu was seen wandering on Laurel Creek Drive. Authorities were able to lasso the emu and transfer it to the Alameda County Sheriff's Office's Animal Services Division.

In January 2022, a piglet affectionately known as Bacon was found wandering around Vineyard Avenue and Leona Place. Bacon also waited for his family at the animal services division, while the community rallied to #bringbaconhome.