On a bitterly cold morning, the last day of January, Ken brought a newborn lamb into the house.  It could not find it’s mother and needed milk to keep his body warm with the blowing wind and single digit temperature.  But with a some warm lamb milk replacer and a lot of attention, the downward spiral of his life was reversed.

Resting Peacefully After Some Milk and Warmth

Before long he was ready to romp and play.

Up and Moving

He had some giraffe like markings on his hind quarter which inspired our daughter, Ashley, to name him Jeffery.  What a delight he was to raise.  The weather was so cold, the radiator was constantly warm. We kept his bottle on the radiator so when he was hungry there was no need to warm it.  When he was finished drinking I would send him outside to get some fresh air and relieve himself.  Tripp our German Shepherd make caring for Jeffery simple.

The Perfect Lamb-Sitter

Jeffery would follow her wherever she went and when I would call Tripp to come Jeffery did not lag far behind.  Her watchful eye was sometimes averted by a squirrel or bird but, if Jeffery lost sight of her, one little bleat from him brought her running to his side.  They were never far apart.  In play or in sleep they were always together.

A Well Deserved Rest

About 14 days after Jeffery’s arrival, a family came to the farm for a week.  During their stay, I had to be off the farm some of the days and and asked if they would be able to give Jeffery his bottle.

Lunch is Served

Jeffery would follow us as we walked out to feed the pigs.  If Tripp ran up the hill off the path, Jeffery went up the hill too.  Of course, when the children wanted lunch with a campfire Tripp would be there too with his tag-along, Jeffery.  They gave Jeffery his first view of fire as they toasted marshmallows for dessert.  He was mesmerized.

Jeffery’s First Fire

Jeffery went to the barn with us twice daily and by the end of our guest’s stay, Jeffery also developed a fascination for the critters in the barn that were just his size, looked like him, and ran and played with him.  He remained in the barn one time when we had all left and closed the gate.  The children retrieved him.  The next morning we made a plan to leave Jeffery in the barn, if he was playing with the other lambs, as it was time for him to become a sheep.  His dog days were coming to an end.  The day the children left to head back to New York, Jeffery did not come out with us.  The children left and three times a day we would go to the gate, call his name, and Jeffery would come running for his bottle.  When the days got warmer we cut him back to twice a day. Finally the day came when the sheep went out to pasture, Jeffery went with the herd,  A few days later he had no interest in the bottle. Finally came the day that he was in the pasture with his head to the ground eating grass, I called him three times and he never raised his head.  He had finally put his “puppy”  and “human” days behind him and was truly a sheep.

It was a blessing to rescue Jeffery from the cold and give him life. He now lives on another farm but he will always have a special place in the memory of those who knew him.