Each sheep in this little crew thinks it is special. Only two in the picture were originally brought into the stable during our earlier bitter cold weather because we wanted to keep an eye on them. Ally, who is at the top left, is a sweet little girl who just has never seemed to thrive but she's kept at it for 3 years now. She was christened Ally a few years ago when one of the dogs played roughly with her and caused a few rough spots on her skin. We sprayed her down with shiny bright silver Alu-Shield so that she would heal more quickly. Some how we went from calling her the lamb with the Alu-Shield on her to just calling her Ally. She is also the little gal who has a dark brown patch at the base of her spine where she laid up under the heat lamp and scorched her wool. The burn got nowhere near her skin, just took the tips off in a perfect circular patch. She seems to live a less-than-charmed life but is very friendly and content.
Since we never put an animal up without a companion, we let another sheep join her when she first went into the stable. That little sheep had a little buddy who stood outside the stable door as the two of them baaaaed at each other. We let that little one join its friend. One of the older Shetland ewes (the darkest one in the crowd) realized that those sheep were getting special treatment so slipped in one of the times I opened the door to check on the first sheep. She decided the indoor life wasn't so bad so began joining the others. She attracted another hanger-on.
Yesterday was a pretty day so we threw everyone out for the afternoon. When I went out at the end of the day to feed the dogs the sheep watched me open the barnyard gate and immediately ran to the stable door. I'm sure you can see the look of anticipation on their faces as they wait to be put in for the night.
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