'Bruce' house pet makes a moo-ve to stardom

CANYON COUNTY, Idaho (KBOI) — Most cows are not allowed in the house, but Bruce, isn't like most cows.

"He's almost like a dog, it's super weird. I lived on the dairy for a little while and it's not common at all to have a cow be interested in a human," said Bruce's owner and social media influencer, Elias Herrera. "He wants to be pet, he wants to be fed, he wants to hang out with you."

It's Bruce's friendly demeanor that got Herrera to try new things with him, like going on walks, sampling different foods and ultimately, bringing him in the house. Herrera says he only started making videos with Bruce in January 2024, and they've since skyrocketed in popularity online.

"Once I brought him in the house, which was probably beginning of March, that's when it just exploded," said Herrera. "I bet I only had 30,000 followers and now I'm at 1.2 million on Instagram and 1.3 million on TikTok."

Herrera says he got Bruce from a local dairy farm when he was only 3-days-old and that they've been inseparable ever since.

"I think that's part of the reason why he's so friendly, I bottle fed him and I've been hanging out with him every day," said Herrera. "A lot of farmers have so many cows they can't individually give attention to each cow but I'm able to do that with Bruce."

Bruce weighs approximately 1,000 pounds, making getting around Herrera's home a unique challenge. A challenge, Herrera says they tackle about once a week to make their videos.

"I do some daily routine videos with him, we're working out or he wakes me up in bed," said Herrera. "I walk with him down the street and put his halter on, he just likes to be around people."

It's clear that people also like to be around Bruce, whether in person or online.

"I really have enjoyed how much people enjoy our videos, you know, how much it changes their day or makes them laugh," said Herrera. "Everyone comments saying, 'I was having a terrible day and Bruce changed my mood,' and I'm just like, that feels so good to actually know that I'm doing something positive for other people. That's huge to me because I don't really want it just to get views or just to get publicity or anything, changing people's attitudes in a positive way is what I'd love to happen and I think there's so much negativity online and it's nice to have something different every once in a while."

Although Bruce is a great pet, it's important to remember that cows can be dangerous.

"I wouldn't recommend a house cow. They're just so big and kind of dangerous, like stepping on your feet and most of them aren't friendly like Bruce and they'll headbutt you like my other steer," said Herrera. "They need to have room to graze and pasture and just to be happy."

While Herrera says he doesn't recommend purchasing a "house cow" to your average person, he hopes his Instagram brightens people's days.

"We would like to just keep going with what we've been doing, doing day-to-day Bruce stuff and keep making people smile," said Herrera.

With such a large online following, criticism is common, and Herrera wants to address public concern over the sweet treats he ocassionally feeds Bruce in some of his videos.

"A lot of people don't know what they can eat without being harmed, and obviously anything is in moderation," said Herrera. "Sugars, especially breads, they love it, and that's something that the dairies supplement cattle feed with is bakery waste, or these candy shops that can't sell candy and give it to the dairies because the sugars help their milk production."

Herrera says asides from his companionship, Bruce has changed his life in so many positive ways.

"I've had a lot of people that I've looked up to through the years reach out through social media, Tony Hawk being one of them," said Herrera. "That was amazing to have him reach out, I've loved that guy since I was probably 11."