Enroute to the Cottage at Struan Farm the other day I had quite the catch up with several of our pet lambs. I can't call them "former" pets when they still follow me, come when I call, want apples, etc. They all still recognise my voice, I get "baas" in response to varying degrees. But everyone is now running with the mob. The fact that the pets interact with me calms everybody down, the mob doesn't know quite what to make of me but they don't get themselves into a panic mode.
I was able to pat and talk to Cookie, Tootsie, Mickey, Minnie, Pip, and Rosie (of course). Rosie remains the most socialised, although she does get herself into a snit when I share apples with anyone else, stalking off. I avoid Ruby when I don't have apples since she is such a huge sheep that she'd knock me over in her enthusiasm for all things apple. Pepper will come nearby me to graze but she rarely if ever wants a pat absent the days when she has the odd flashback.
They seem to enjoy hanging around us, still. And while they'll come to me and follow me, they also follow John, who just rolls his eyes. But when he doesn't know I'm watching, I have caught him talking to them, especially his special girls Rosie and Cookie.
We use Rosie to lead the sheep when we change paddocks. She'll do just about anything for a crisp, cut apple!
Right now I'm counting the days until this year's lambing. It looks like Rosie, Ruby, Pip and Pepper will lamb, not sure about either Tootsie or Cookie given their limited exposures to the rams and relatively young ages. Minnie is way too young being late season, and Mickey, well, he's a wether and is just an observer at this stage.
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