Wool-blind: A Change of Perception

“To my mind, the life of a lamb is no less precious than that of a human being.”
― Mahatma Gandhi

Odysseus not impressed by our little guest in the Studio

My keys jingled as I made a mad dash out of the house. Bidding my small pups Magni and
Mye goodbye, I yelled instructions to my disgruntled and distracted brother who was playing
video games (I hoped he heard at least half of the chores I’d listed).

I reached my car and double checked I had everything:  Keys. Library books to return.
Shopping bags. Lunch. Hay and milk and bottle for RiverSong. And Riversong… 

“River! Where are you?!?” I turned to see her right at my heels, looking at me expectantly.
We had been doing this for two weeks now and she knew the routine. I opened the car door
and she jumped in, settling herself on the passenger’s side floor.

“Good girl” I piled my bags in the back, yelled goodbye to my brother, and reminded him a
second time to feed the horses while I was out. It was the start of another typical work day!

River chewed her cud and gazed at me dolefully as I turned the car on and cranked up the heater.
I cranked down the volume on the S.J. Tucker music so as not to hurt her ears. A social lamb,
she was going to spend the day at her Grandmaaaa’s (sorry, I couldn’t resist!) otherwise known as
my mom’s place, while I was at work. I could have left her at home, but with two pups who
were teething and an absent minded brother with a new video game, I could foresee too
many potential hazards for a small lamb.

I got River when she was only a few
days old. She spent much of her first
weeks asleep on my lap while I painted
and worked on my computer. 
​She loved to follow me around and 
acted more like a dog than a sheep.

Not surprisingly, it had only taken River       a few days to become completely comfortable riding in the car. She seemed to enjoy it
and would be eager to jump in the car with
me (while my pups looked on with jealousy   at being left behind!).  

Unfortunately, River got a little too
enthusiastic about eating Mom’s garden and was quite dismayed when she was not allowed to come visit anymore, haha!
​
​
​There is a major misconception that sheep are dumb. However, in my experience, sheep are just
as easy to train as dogs if given the chance and, like River, are intelligent and full of personality.

We may be surprised by what we discover when we engage with animals with an open mind
and heart..
​
After reading my story about River, has your perception of sheep changed in any way?
Let me know!

Thanks for reading 　 ​　
Love & Light,
Siobhan

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