A calf or young cow, especially one that has been separated from its mother or is in poor condition; also spelled dogie.
Of uncertain origin, possibly from Spanish 'dogal' (lasso) or from 'dog-like' in some regional American English. Primarily used in Western cattle ranching terminology from the 19th century.
A dogy wasn't a dog at all—it was a motherless or weak calf that cowboys had to hand-raise, and the name might come from how it had to be bottle-fed like a pet. These orphaned calves were a real economic problem for ranchers because they needed extra care.
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