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Rescued lamb opens eyes, hearts
Summer 2009 newsletter
by Gena Sellers
On May 29th, of this year, my eyes were opened to a horrific set of circumstances regarding life. I value life, and try to respect all of nature’s living creatures.
I was driving home that late afternoon. I had left work, picked up my girls from school, turned on the tunes and we were all dancing in the car going down the road when I spotted something that made my heart dive.
To the left, in a ditch, was a lamb struggling to get footing. I did a quick turn around and went back. My girls scrambled out of the car. We looked and saw nothing but an empty paddock. There was not another sheep in sight for as far as we could see.
I picked up the cell and called Linn County Sheriff’s office. I reported my findings and location as my girls went running after the lamb. It was hobbling on three legs, baying and terrified. My girls got it and brought it back to our vehicle as the sheriff responded that the owner had been contacted and would arrive shortly.
We waited with this tiny lamb. The thing was over heated, terrified and exhausted. We offered water, but it would not drink. Its leg was swollen, and its tail was badly injured, with parts of it hanging by fur alone.
The owner pulled in. He admitted to leaving the lamb behind because it was lame and could not keep up with its mother. He said he had taken the mother and the other sheep a few days before and he was surprised to see it had survived this long.
He picked up the lamb by its neck, and held it out in front of us as if it was nothing more than garbage. My girls cried at this cruelty and begged him to stop. The rancher simply said he intended to take the lamb back to his ranch and destroy it.
I promptly said no, we would adopt him. The rancher did not need convincing. He simply handed the lamb back to my daughters and left.
We immediately took the tiny thing to Lebanon Animal Hospital where the vet cooled the lamb down, and informed us it was male and about 10 days to 2 weeks old. She then said his left foreleg shoulder joint had a severe abscess that was destroying the joint bone. She began treatment immediately, and I scrambled to pay for this care.
Now, almost a month later, Lambert is thriving. He has survived the abscess and a bout with pneumonia. He is lame, and always will be, but he enjoys his milk and his front yard grazing. He is now a part of our family.
This cruelty to these types of animals, I have since learned, is rampant and growing faster each day. These animals are not valued for their life, but for the profit they can turn for a human being.
I called Lighthouse Farm Sanctuary for advice and found a great deal more. I found a man who has dedicated his life to provide a refuge for these animals that have been abandoned, abused, neglected, and cast off.
How can we, as human beings—the supposedly superior species of this planet—be so cruel and blind to the plight of these animals?
Is it because we feel they offer us nothing but profit?
I can honestly say Lambert is a member of our family. He sleeps inside; he eats with us; he plays with us; he is a good lamb. Our family is blessed to have such a wonderful animal to learn from.
