With a whistle, a deputy became a “bull whisperer” Thursday after the San Diego Sheriff's Department Valley Center substation found themselves in an utterly chaotic situation.
Two bulls and a cow escaped from their pen near Fruitvale and Paso Robles roads Thursday morning, prompting a response from SDSO deputies.
One Sheriff's deputy said the bull was destroying property.
"I showed up and saw a bull basically roaming around a front yard causing havoc," Deputy Greg Robinson told NBC 7.
The animals had knocked down a fence and roamed into their neighbor's yard, where they were acting aggressively. The bulls rammed an RV, knocking off part of the bumper.
One got their head stuck in a doghouse.
At about 9:40 a.m., the substation tweeted a call for help.
“The Valley Center Station is in need of a cowboy.”
But just five minutes later, the situation was under control, thanks to the whistling skills of one SDSO deputy.
"Our deputy’s lasso skills were better than expected and we have the bulls contained. Thanks!"
That deputy was Chris Neifeld, a K9 handler with the Valley Center substation.
He whistled at the bulls and the animals responded to the sound, SDSO Lt. Dave Schaller said.
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Neifeld described his whistle as one you would use to call a dog and said, "they came over just like a dog would."
He has now been dubbed the "bull whisperer" by his collegues. Together, the responders were able to coax the cows back into their pen.
The deupties then built a makeshift barrier to keep the animals on their own side of the fence, going well above and beyond the line of duty.
“Might be time for a “Wrangler of the Month” award,” the substation tweeted.
It was the second time this week the bulls got out of their pen, a neighbor told NBC 7. A fence repair worker was called after the bulls escaped earlier in the week.
The repair worker showed up just after the cows were wrangled.
