I would think that the first domesticated dairy animals were goats rather
than cows. Having raised them I observed the following:
        1. Even domestic goats are very close to wild. They've been somewhat
selectively bred, but nothing like cattle. Providing that they have not been
disbudded (de-horned), they can very quickly and handily survive in the wild.
All this is simply to say that what one can see watching a domestic goat herd
is not too dissimilar from a wild herd.
        2. Goats are very smart. Anyone who has had them knows that a
goat-proof latch resembles Fort Knox. Smart animals of all kinds, us
included, seem to look for  easier ways to get fed.
        3. Goats are also EXTREMELY curious. Even wild goats will creep close
to a domestic goat herd, apparently just to see what's up.
        4. Kids imprint very quickly on people and will treat a human as
chief-goat for -life (Idi Amin eat your heart out!) with incredible devotion.
An imprinted goat will follow its human goat-chief as closely as possible,
unlike either sheep (too skittish) or cattle (who don't bond the same way).
They also do not spook the way either cattle or sheep do, so they would
always be close to camp, whether you like it or not. Or in your sleeping bag
if you'll let them! Excellent cuddlers on cold nights.
        5.Goats have very keen eyesight (7 times the distance and acuity of
humans), so their ability to spot danger makes them very valuable
watch-critters. After all, what's dangerous to a goat would also be dangerous
to a human.
        6. Goats are small, easily portable, are good pack animals and their
meat is tasty and naturally low-fat. Their hides are strong, soft (kidskin
gloves??), waterproof and just the right size for people outfits.
        7. Goats also have a diet of the widest variety  of all hooved
animals (no, they do not eat tin cans, they're actually very fussy eaters).
Only bears eat a wider range. Humans have always learned about plants from
watching animals and the goat would have been a walking encyclopaedia. They
have the ability to nibble a plant and spit it out if its toxic. What a great
"canary," eh?
        8. They have the highest rate of cellulose to protein conversion,
Which means that they do not require pasture to produce milk, just brush,
gorse, shrubs, etc.


        So, I can easily imagine a goat domesticating itself, if only by its
curiosity. A lone goat could not survive, so a pregnant doe or an abandoned
kid would attach itself to the nearest non-fanged mammal, namely us. Since a
paunch would make a handy "bucket" for the milk and the paunch has rennet in
it, voila - cheese! Keeps for months, tastes better as it ages, requires no
technology, just an accident. Not to mention that one gets a great companion
in the bargain.

So, I vote goat.
Mac