Orphaned Lambs Follow This Dog Everywhere — Because They Think He's Their Dad
"He's a sweetheart and puts up with it."
When a man who raises sheep ended up with three orphaned lambs, he wasn't sure what to do - until his dog decided to step in and help.
Sarah Lewis's dad has a herd of Dorper sheep, and recently one of his sheep gave birth and, unfortunately, died shortly after, leaving her two baby girls to fend for themselves. A day later, another mother gave birth but abandoned her baby, refusing to take care of him. The three little lambs took solace in each other as they struggled to navigate the world without a mother - until they found the best replacement.
Beau is an 8-year-old yellow Lab who lives on the farm with his dad and the sheep. He noticed the lambs running around without a parent and decided to investigate, and as soon as he did, the lambs took an instant liking to him.
"The lambs tried to nurse on him, and he just stood there with his bottom lip trembling," Lewis told The Dodo. "They still try sometimes, and it drives him crazy, but he's a sweetheart and puts up with it."
Beau wasn't crazy about the lambs at first. They follow him wherever he goes, hopping and skipping along behind him. He's since warmed up to them, though, and has become a father figure for them.
"They're growing on him, evident by the fact that he recently started cleaning their faces," Lewis said.
As the lambs get older they're becoming more and more playful, and they love running alongside their new dad, racing each other as they go. They may have been orphaned, but they created their own little makeshift family, and as long as they have each other, they'll be just fine.