petting a bison

We just got a bison hide back from the tanner for a customer. It is a beauty. It is really fun because hides are as different as human fingerprints. This one has a dark stripe down the center of the hump and then is really blonde around the stripe. Then it gradually darkens down to the legs. And this one is really large. Bison hides are so thick and luxurious. I have never been a hide type of gal, but these things have changed me. Beautiful, soft, warm, and hairy, they make me want to snuggle up and sleep on them. Maybe it is my attachment to the animals themselves - I am sort of partial - that makes me love these. Maybe it is that I always wish the bison were snuggle-able. I long to pet them. Even Arnold, the bison that was bottle fed and would come right up to us, wouldn't let you pet him - he'd give you a nice big head butt instead. I guess these hides are the closest thing I'll get to petting a bison. I'm okay with that; it is much less dangerous.