Swimming cow's little buoy named

Drum roll, please ... In a tightly contested battle, the winning name for Cow 569's calf is ... Tuggy's Buoy.

The name, thought up by Holly Crooks, 9, of Pahiatua, was picked as a winner by Kim Riley, owner of Cow 569, and newspaper editor Jo Myers, of the Manawatu Standard.

Tuggy's Buoy - probably Tug for short - was selected from 44 entries in the newspaper's competition to name the calf born to a hero of the February flood.

Mrs Riley has written a children's book, Cow Power, about Cow 569, which towed her to safety when she was swept away in a flooded river at night.

A copy of the book and a $50 book token were the prize for the winning name. Entries ranged from the pithy (Zap, Bulk and Bolt), to the more puzzling (Runky), to the product of a very black sense of humour (Bobby). There were also the cute (Fluffy and Gorgeous, a pun on the Manawatu Gorge), and a touch of class (Pluie, which is the French word for rain).

Lucky featured twice, and Swimmer, Puddles and River got a mention.

A few names gave mum credit: 569 Junior, Pint-size 569 and Mini-minor 569.

Mrs Riley said she found Tuggy's Buoy "very clever".

"We loved all the names and the family found it hard to choose. But Tuggy's Buoy, probably Tug on the tag, goes with the term 'lifesaver'."

A livestock tags manufacturer made up a nameplate for Cow 569, labelling her as a heroic lifesaver, and has said it will produce a similar earpiece for her son.

Tuggy's Buoy will be auctioned at a charity event at the Manawatu agricultural and pastoral show next month. Proceeds will go to Plunket.

- NZPA