We always hear stories about dogs and cats being abandoned. However, this time it is a sheep that was left behind to die.
A family in Manitoba, Canada moved and after quite a long time their landlord found a sheep in the barn completely abandoned. She was dirty, and her fleece was overgrown. She was also accompanied by a dead chicken.
The landlord knew two women who would love to help. Together they called the cofounders of Kismet Creek Farm. One of the cofounders Raelle Schoenrock said: “We don’t know how long she had gone without shearing, but it had to have been years and years. Her fleece was over a foot long in some areas, and the whole back end of her was matte black with rank urine.”
They named the sheep Teddy after a child’s book about an abandoned teddy bear.
“There’s a children’s book called ‘Little Teddy Left Behind’ that I bought over a decade ago for my niece,” Raelle Schoenrock said. “A beloved teddy bear gets lost when his kids move and go on a series of harrowing adventures until fate reunites him with his family.”
Teddy did not only receive enough food and water from them but also love and the feeling of safety.
“That night, I just sat in the pen with her,” Raelle Schoenrock said. “I talked to her, told her she was safe. She met our chickens, and all our large animals (the cattle and horses) came over to the fence to look at her. Our cats came to say ‘hi,’ and Teddy was very curious about them. We had volunteers visit her, and I continued to sit in her pen with her.”
She started to get along with other animals on the farm. She was overall a healthy sheep, but her fleece needed to be taken care of.
It took hours and a couple of broken scissors for them to completely shorn Teddy’s fleece which made her feel much better. Even though she was abandoned, she is acting friendly toward people.
“The second night took about the same amount of time, and we almost got everything done — except our clippers actually died on us right as we were about to trim Teddy’s neck,” she added. “But we decided she looked good enough!”
Teddy immediately felt better after being shorn.
“Before the haircut, she really only got up to walk over to her food,” Raelle Schoenrock said. “After her first haircut, she was grazing and exploring and sniffing the horses through the fence. After her second haircut, we introduced her to the other sheep and goats she now lives with. The integration went really smoothly, just lots of sniffing and checking each other out.”
After being abandoned by her first family, Teddy had every reason not to like people — but she’s slowly learning to trust people again, and she now seeks out affection from sanctuary visitors.>
“Teddy is a sweet and gentle sheep,” Raelle Schoenrock said. “She approaches people in calm situations on her terms. If you sit near her, she’ll come to you and sniff your hand and allow some gentle pets.”
Raelle Schoenrock has formed a particularly strong bond with Teddy.
“When I look at Teddy, and she looks at me, I feel her gratitude and I know she knows that we helped her. Being a part of Teddy’s rescue feels amazing. It’s what I was put on Earth to do, help animals. It’s my passion and my calling and every time we save another life and I get to see them thrive here, it fills me with overwhelming joy.” said Raelle Schoenrock.
We hope this gentle and grateful sheep lives happily with her new loving family.
(h/t)
