Hello. I am so excited to share about my backyard happy ending. Beau has a new home!
Raising a bummer lamb from four days old in my kitchen and enjoying the backyard rollicking has been a joy I never knew about. Bummer lambs are the ones not accepted by the flock. It is not only a sad sight but a life threatening one when they are rammed against the barn walls or stalls. How does this happen? Why does a flock reject one of its’ own? (link: great story of bummer lambs)
I never thought I would say, I am glad for unexcused punishment to something so innocent, but I am certainly glad this little lamb got to come stay and live with us for a while. A year and half. He just grew too big as little lambs do.
When the back mudroom got too small and he needed a bigger space than running around my dining room table we had to move him out to a pen. I guess when he kept jumping over the raised baby gate, we had to move him outside. This was only 4-6 weeks. I wish I kept track.
We filled his little pen with hay and it was so nice that the chickens came to visit him. Then he grew and we could open the feeding pen to the larger pen, the length of our fenced in yard. He didn’t stay in there too well. He was lonely. He had been held and bottle fed by many friends and he was used to two legged companions without feathers.
The two new market lambs came for 4H and FFA. Two of my sons have raised sheep for fair, going on four years. I was excited Beau might have some friends. But they were also
not too nice to Beau, so we had to separate them. Beau could only go on walks with them when they were all on leads(leashes). After fair, they left and Beau stayed. He got the bigger space again.
Much like a dog he became and I had to visit often to take him for walks. He was quite loud and always knew when my car door closed when I came home or when the back door cracked open. I’d let him out in the greater back yard. He loved to jump and frolic which is ever so cute to watch. He grew more and became a grazer. I think we saved on gas for the lawn mower but…. He ate my blueberries (The Whole Bushes!), he ate my raspberries then some lavender plants. I couldn’t plant a garden that year either. But actually, it was ok because of the drought. He became super wooly for the winter.
I wanted to be ready to garden for the next year so a new blessing sprung from all his chomping. I got a new cute fence around my she-shed so I could happily garden. But Beau got in once or twice and he ate our new kiwi and olive tree. It is a crazy thing to love an animal and all the inconveniences don’t matter.
He was just too big for even our back yard by the next year and my life too busy to walk a sheep daily down the road. When spring came again, it was time to prepare for fair. I was surprised with three new lambs! I don’t know how our little back yard could take four lambs and then my boys and husband said, “It can’t. Beau has to go.” So began my search for a rescue space to take Beau because he was just too much of a pet to put to auction.
I asked for a little time and if Beau could mingle with the new lambs. I had to see if he could manage living with other larger animals so I could feel okay with him going. This time however, the new lambs were a year younger. Beau still cautious from their nearness stayed away. The new lambs wanted to be near an older lamb, when I let them all out to the bigger yard, they followed Beau. Which was so fun to watch the first few days, he hid behind a swing and would run to the other side of the yard. They only wanted to follow and be near, Beau finally let them and they all had a great time. He became the leader!
Beau liked his new friends but he also liked eating their food. “Mom, Beau has to go.” I kept hearing this said. I knew this to be true and I wanted to find him a home but the few local farm rescue locations were not accepting any large animals. They also did not have any numbers to contact and if they would take in an animal the process was much longer than a few days, weeks. I put calls out to the area but really most the area is farmers and the sheep and livestock are just for market. For some reason, I knew Beau to be different and that he had another story than market. His friendliness and character charmed too many.
I was running out of options and at the last moment I got the call from a dear friend who knew the story of Beau. I will have to share this great story next. The events that happened in just one day to get Beau to a new home was too special indeed. It involves a train, a
ticking time clock, a last walk, a desperate plea and a prayer. Please come back to read.
For now, here is Daria from Daria’s Rescue Ark in Yamhill! I later met her for the first time at Lavender Festival. She loves Beau, he has new friends; goats, dogs, and chickens. And he now lives on a bigger hill in Yamhill.