The following chapter aims at unfoldingthe multilayered circumstances fromwhich the current debates about cattle and their living conditions grew, givingmeaning to the idea of the“happy cow,”seen in the marketing of dairy and meatproducts, as well as popular events such as pasture releases. The goal is to investi-gate how the well-being of cows was understood in different contexts, opening ahistorisation of modern animal welfare, food production and husbandry. Thechapter asks why ideas about the necessity of cows to be happy emerged in thedebate at the time they did, and what areas of conflict they related to. The methodused is archaeological, broadly contextualising the idea of the necessity of cowsbeing happy. A wide range of sources are used: the critical articles, propositionsand debates concerning animal welfare laws, the industry magazineHusdjurandliterature about the handling of animals in zoos and in training. The case here isSweden with its claim and self-image of being a nation with a very high level ofanimal welfare.