Whoa - that's got to be a record? Pleased to hear a happy ending!
We once had a three-week old calf that didn't follow it's mum & the others at turnout, going in the opposite direction. We followed it, trying to steer it away from the main roads, for about 5 miles, before losing it, probably in some willow plantation, although we last saw it in the oak wood.
Anyway, we went home to collect the dam, who was quite frantic, and took her down to the area we'd last seen it and led her round on the halter, all the time calling for the calf but had to give up and return home when it got dark, and returned her to the field. The night was terrible, heavy rain & we were sure it'd have perished in a dyke or something. Then the next morning we got a phone call from a neighbour - he'd spotted the calf, only a few fields away from home, laid up under the hedge in the field next to his drive, presumably unable to get through the fence and sheltering from the rain. We took the cow to her and she came running. To have got stuck where it was the calf must have retraced it's steps & approached from the other end of the field it was in, no doubt able to hear it's mother calling. Not as impressive as your story, but I do think Dexters have that little more about them that helps in such situations.
