Teen taking nap with his cow at state fair warming hearts across the country

A teenager napping with his cow on the ground of a barn at the Iowa State Fair is melting hearts all over the nation.

The teen, 15-year-old Mitchell Miner, had trained with his heifer, Audri, every day for the past several months to prepare for the fair's youth dairy cattle show on Monday. Mitchell invested an extraordinary amount of time to prepare, doing things like clipping, bathing, and walking her daily.

According to the Des Moines Register, Mitchell diligently woke at 3 a.m. — for the third day in a row — to make sure to get all the last-minute details just right for the competition later that morning. After a grueling day of competition where Mitchell's Audri placed fifth out of seven contestants, he decided to take a rest with his heifer pal.

Luckily, Mitchell's father, Jeremy, saw the two curled up against one another and posted the adorable picture on Iowa State Fair's Facebook page, where it has been spreading like wildfire.

"She likes to lay down quite a bit," Mitchell told the Register. "I don't really understand the bond with my animal either."

"She just enjoys my company," he said.

Mitchell's mother, Laura, told the newspaper the pair's bond isn't surprising given how much time they have spent together.

"I think it's just when you spend that much time with them, they get really comfortable with you," she said.

Laura said that their family borrowed Audri for the summer from a local dairy farm where she will be returning in September.