Housebroken 'Bullet' the bison gets new home

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DENTON COUNTY, Texas — The housebroken bison that captured the attention of millions when her story went viral has a new home, and it's only a few miles from her old one.

Bullet the bison spends her time these days in lush pastures and behind fences on Cross Timers Road. But her new owners are planning to build her quite the new house.

"Yeah, it'll be an actual house and barn," Wayne Yarbrough said, "and it'll be air-conditioned."

Wayne, and his wife, Mary Beth, saw the WFAA-TV report in May detailing the life of the domesticated bison that preferred to spend part of her day actually inside her then-owner's house.

The bison was for sale, and the Yarbroughs decided to take a chance.

"We've had lots of animals -- horses, cattle, even emu," Mary Beth said. "But we weren't buffalo people."

The couple lives on 60 acres that includes barns, a lake, paddocks and well-groomed landscaping.

A home for their new buffalo is only natural, Wayne said.

"I think she'll really like it," he said. "She's so sweet."

Karen Schoeve knows all about Bullet's affection.

For the past few years, she was the owner that let Bullet roam freely around the Shoeve home in Argyle.

Schoeve acquired the bison for a commercial ranching venture that didn't pan out.

She says Bullet never once went to the bathroom inside her house, and would frequently lounge near the family's aquarium to escape the Texas heat.

'Potty-trained' bison looking for a forever home

Bullet is a 1,000-pound bison in North Texas who has simply outgrown her space. Her owner says Bullet is potty-trained and likes to spend time inside the house just as much as outside.

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"Everyone has hard situations in their life, and it's just good for her to have a new place," Schoeve said.

She says she misses her friend, but she knew the opportunity for her to have more space and a better environment was the right choice.

The Yarbroughs plan to eventually use Bullet and some of their horses as therapy animals.

"There are a lot of people that have these big PTSD scars. And if you could show them this buffalo, and it's gentleness, I really think it could be an emotional breakthrough for a lot of people," Mary Beth said.

They hope to break ground on Bullet's house in the next few months.

Until then, they say she'll simply have to endure a little summer heat.

Follow Todd Unger on Twitter: @ToddWFAA8