Having a cow: that's what suspects are accused of

RIVERSIDE, Calif. -- Officers making a traffic stop early in the morning on Nov. 6 were surprised to find a baby cow in the vehicle, reports CBS Los Angeles.

The bizarre discovery happened when police on a routine patrol stopped two men, who police said looked suspicious.

After making the surprising find, Riverside, Calif. officers asked the men to provide documentation. When they couldn't, the men were arrested, according to John Welsh of Riverside County Animal Services.

"It's highly suspicious that you would be transporting the calf. If you bought it legally, you would be transporting it in a trailer," Welsh said.

Animal services staff nicknamed the 3-day-old cow Shorty and are looking for her owner.

Welsh said Shorty is in good health, but the search for the calf's owners has been made more difficult, because the alleged thieves forcefully removed ID tags from the calf's ears.

"We definitely need the public's help to kind of spread the word. Maybe the person who owns this calf doesn't realize it's been taken off their dairy farm," Welsh said.

Shorty is being cared for at a dairy farm.