Goose that thought she was a cow dies

ASHTON, Ill. -- A goose that received national attention for her devotion to the cows on a farm near this northern Illinois town has died from injuries she received after one of the cows stepped on her.

Lucy spent more than three years eating and sleeping with the cows she loved on John White's farm. But last month, a cow stepped on her, White said. Lucy died from her injuries Monday.

White came home one day in June to find Lucy lying by the water hydrant in the barnyard unable to move, he said. He carefully picked up the goose and took her into the barn. White knew the injuries were serious.

"She wouldn't let me pick her up unless she's hurt," White said.

White put Lucy in a separate pen away from the cows, but she still was able to look through the wire and see them. She even managed to crawl under the fence to rejoin them at one point.

Though Lucy spent most of her time on White's farm, she actually belonged to White's neighbor, Linda Williams, who said she is glad her pet's suffering is over.

"She's probably in duck heaven," Williams said.

"Her spirit's flying around."