Lambert

While on our way to the local hardware store we stopped by a neighborhood yard sale. We noticed and commented on a tiny, happy little lamb in a nearby pasture. The folks said that he was not a new lamb but nearly a fully grown ram named Lambert.

Lambert had been born with dwarfism and was rejected by his mother at birth because of his small size. They brought him into their home and bottle fed him for months to keep him alive until he was old enough and strong enough to return to the pasture with his family. But they could not afford to pay for the feed for all of their animals any longer and needed to sell some of their herd to pay medical bills. They would sell Lambert for slaughter at a livestock auction the following day.

As long term vegans and animal rights activist we could not understand how someone could bottle feed and care for such an adorable little lamb just to sell him off to slaughter. But as horrified as we were by Lambert’s impending fate, we rationed that a sheep was just not something that we should bring home from a yard sale on impulse. We knew we were not prepared to properly care for him. So we climbed in our truck, leaving Lambert behind.

But as we returned home we could not stop thinking of little Lambert and his horrifying fate. Once you consider saving an animal, look into their eyes and recognize them as your equal, you cannot walk away from that animal without feeling as though you have a responsibility to protect them and keep them from harm.

We turned the truck around to rescue little Lambert.

At first we thought we would bring Lambert to an established sanctuary. But after making many calls throughout the state and around the country we learned that so many sanctuaries are full and not able to take in an intact ram with aggressive behaviors.

With nowhere for little Lambert to go, we knew that we had to become his sanctuary. And as we shared Lambert’s story we were told of so many more animals in need so we welcomed them too.