#dorper

Ellis is a fat-tailed Dorper lamb who was born into a small flock of sheep who were being raised for meat. Ellis did not latch onto his mother in the first couple of days and became quite ill due to infection in his leg joints; navel ill was the likely cause of his joint infection. Navel ill is caused by infection entering through the umbilical cord. Lambs who do not receive colostrum from their mother’s milk in the first 24 hours have immune systems that are particularly weak, thus making them more susceptible to infection.

At 2 days old, Ellis was weak and lethargic. Seeing him wracked by infection, the farmer did not seek out or provide him with any veterinary care; instead, he casually asked his neighbor if she wanted a sick lamb. The neighbor, an experienced guardian of goats, dogs, and horses, knew nothing about caring for lambs. But she didn’t hesitate to accept Ellis’s small, weakened body as he was handed to her over the fence.  

At the very moment when Ellis was discarded as worthless and without hope for survival, his life prospects improved dramatically. He was suddenly seen as someone, not something. Ellis’s rescuer, who was unfamiliar with sheep care, had a strong relationship with a local farm-animal veterinarian who treated her other animals. She sought immediate veterinary help for little Ellis, and thus saved his life.

With proper individualized veterinary treatment and the loving care of his rescuer, Ellis pulled through the infection and became healthy. He was his rescuer’s constant companion. Ellis was given round-the-clock care by his loving guardian, who bottle-fed him every couple of hours. He lived in her home among her canine companions, and even accompanied her to work on commercial film sets on occasion. Ellis was constantly surrounded by doting humans and had all of the human love one lamb could hope for. He did not, however, have any sheep friends, and his rescuer grew concerned that he was lonely and needed to live among other sheep.

When we learned of Ellis’s situation and need for sheep companionship, we were happy to welcome this young survivor into our “sheeple” flock at our Southern California Shelter. Ellis’ mom brought him to us and, though she knew that letting him go was in his best interest, she had a hard time saying goodbye to him. He had been her constant companion for two months, and letting go of her baby was not easy. She lives close enough to visit frequently, though, so knowing that she would see him again soon brought her some comfort.  

For Ellis, there was no comfort in those initial hours without his human savior. He cried and cried and cried some more for her. Our attempts at comforting him were rebuffed. He even refused to eat for us. Since Ellis was a new arrival, he was not yet ready to be introduced to our main flock, but, rather, had to be temporarily quarantined by himself so we could monitor his health. He couldn’t have known that as soon as he was big enough, he would be introduced to a flock who would become his family. All he knew was that he was alone, and in that he found no solace.  

Ellis cried tirelessly the entire first full day he was with us, and refused to eat for us. His human mom came to his rescue once again and bottle-fed him for us. By the next day, he started to eat some for us, but his cries continued.

On the third day, Ellis stopped crying. He met Corrie.  

Corrie is a Dorper lamb who is several months older than Ellis. She, too, was born at a farm that raised sheep for meat. Her life was spared, however, when she was gifted to a friend of the farmer on the friend’s 80th birthday. The friend did not have any experience raising sheep, and lived in a suburban Southern California neighborhood that was not zoned for farm animals. But he loved animals, so he was given a lamb.

As much as Corrie’s new human dad loved her, he did not understand her needs. Corrie lived in a small backyard with a small dog. She walked around the neighborhood with her human guardian several times a day. She dutifully followed her guardian, even though she was not wearing a leash or a halter. Given the flight response of sheep, it’s a small miracle that Corrie never darted out into traffic. Despite the dangers she faced, she enjoyed her daily walks because she loved her human. She didn’t have any other sheep to love after being taken from her flock, so she focused on him. Although he loved her too, he was not feeding her a nutritiously adequate diet. She gained too much weight for her young age and developed a goiter due to a lack of proper minerals. Corrie’s guardian didn’t realize that she was in need of medical help, but he did realize that she was lonely and belonged with other sheep, so he contacted us. 

 Like Ellis, Corrie cried incessantly when she was separated from her human dad. For the entire trip to the sanctuary, she cried. Her despair and sense of loss were evident.

Ellis and Corrie had been in similar predicaments: loved by their humans, but in desperate need of sheep companionship. The two were introduced soon after we took custody of Corrie, and an instant friendship formed. Ellis settled down and stopped crying for his lost human mom, and Corrie stopped looking for her lost human dad. Instead, they found comfort in each other. Ellis started taking his bottles readily from us and followed Corrie’s lead and started eating hay. Now these two youngsters are constantly at each other’s side. Ellis, in particular, does not like to have Corrie out of his sight. He sticks to her side all the time!  

Recently, Ellis and Corrie were ready to be introduced to the main flock, where they’re doing wonderfully and loving their more spacious accommodations! Their friendship circle has expanded to include both their new flockmates and the “humanimal” visitors they love to meet and interact with on tour days. As much as their social circle has grown, we still have a sneaking suspicion that the friendship they share will always remain their strongest relationship.