'Howdy Doody': Video shows Nebraska man driving with huge bull in passenger seat

If I fits, I sits.

Residents in Norfolk, Nebraska were in for a surprise when they saw a car with a massive bull riding shotgun in it on the expressway Wednesday morning.

Responding to a call about a "vehicle with a cow inside" cruising through town, about 120 miles northwest of Omaha, Norfolk police were shocked when they came upon the unlikely passenger, reported the Associated Press.

Police assumed the cow would be a small calf but were taken aback when they arrived at the scene.

“We didn’t have a full understanding of it until we saw it,” Norfolk Police Captain Chad Reiman told AP.

Reiman told News Channel Nebraska that officers at the scene performed a traffic stop and "addressed some traffic violations that were occurring with that particular situation."

“The officer wrote him [the owner] some warnings,” Reiman told the local media outlet. “There were some citable issues with that situation. The officer chose to write him a warning and ask him to take the animal back home and leave the city.”

'Friend and buddy'

The bull named Howdy Doody is owned by Lee Meyer, a resident of Neligh, Nebraska about 36 miles from Norfolk. This is not the first time the duo went viral. Earlier, in 2019, Meyer and Doody made headlines when they drove through a parade in Antelope County.

Meyers and Doody are best friends, according to Meyer's wife Rhonda.

"He got him - [about] eight or nine years ago," Rhonda told radio station US92. "He was like five or six months old when he bought him, and he has just been his friend and buddy."

Meyers has modified his white Ford Crown Victoria sedan by removing half the windshield and roof to accommodate Doody in the car. A yellow, metal cattle gate has been installed as a passenger side door, allowing Doody to be tied up, News Channel Nebraska reported.

Rhonda told the radio station that her husband takes Doody out for a walk once a week to eat grass and plants in the road ditches along the highway.

While Doody is an important part of Meyer's life, Rhonda said she wasn't very fond of the idea initially.

"The amount of money that he's spent on this whole darn project between the car and the bull... I could've had a brand-new kitchen," Rhonda exclaimed.

However, Howdy Doody has now become a part of their family.

Rhonda told US92 that despite being stopped by the police, her husband is in good spirits and enjoying the attention.

"Oh, he's fine," Rhonda shared. "Lee thinks he's a movie star."

Saman Shafiq is a trending news reporter for USA TODAY. Reach her at sshafiq@gannett.com and follow her on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter @saman_shafiq7.