We’ve had some rough weather recently and I’ve been busy these past few days looking after a little sheep.
Short story long (see what I did there?) – I had a neighbourly message a few nights back about a little sheep that was on it’s own by the road. So, when I was going over to feed my lot, I checked him out and, sure enough, there he was sitting by himself not looking good.
I went over and he did that running-away-but-falling-over-thing but I couldn’t get near him so I left him a pile of sheep food that happened about my person (ok, yes, I carry it with me because you never know).
On my way home, I found little sheep sitting beside the food, untouched. That spoke volumes. So I crept up with the hope of photographing his tags to identify his owner (so I could phone them and tell them) but he never moved.
What could I do? I picked him up and put him in my car. I hate rustling sheep. Never good or approved of.
Home and I identified little sheep’s owner and I immediately contacted him. He asked me to look after him until he got to me in a few days. Fine, absolutely no bother, I said. The red colour on his bottom is “raddle”, a sheep marker, and not blood.
It took a few days to establish our relationship. He was not very keen on eating so I tempted him with porridge and honey/glucose, or some beet shreds and bruised oats, or fibre block, or hay, or just about anything……
Pepper was also trying her hardest to make a new friend and I was trying my hardest to keep her away.
But, no, they met (never under-estimate the tenacity of a Patterdale terrier) and, by then, Little Sheep was happy to make friends.
Today Little Sheep’s owner has taken him home, which is just what I wanted. I have done my best for him (I treated him for pneumonia) and I will wonder forever whether he will remember us.
