Today.Az » Weird / Interesting » Jack the sheep barks, herds his own kind and sleeps like a dog
28 September 2011 [13:31] - Today.Az
A rescued lamb raised with a springer spaniel is now convinced he is a dog. Six-month-old Jack is so sure he is a canine he fetches sticks, jumps up on his hind legs and even tries to bark.
The farm in Market Drayton, Shropshire, where Jack was raised is owned by Alison Sinstadt and her partner Simon, who both began to notice the sheep's dog-like behaviour ever since it built a friendship with the couple's dog.
‘He makes this strange half baa, half woof noise which everyone finds hilarious,’ Alison told News Today.
‘Jack doesn’t even recognise sheep as his own kind as he tries to herd them up when he’s in a field with them.’
The friendship between Jack and the springer spaniel has been the main cause of the sheep's new-found characteristics. So much so, that they accompany each other along the canal when going on 'dog' walks and share the same sleeping box.
'He was born one of three lambs, which is quite rare,' explained Alison. 'He was very small and we decided to bring him in the house and put the hairdryer on him and forced him to drink milk.
'He thinks he’s a dog, but he doesn’t eat dog food. He grazes along the canal towpath. He is very much part of the family now. We wouldn’t want him ending up as lamb chops.'
Jack is not the only sheep in Britain to have adopted canine ways. In 2006, Welshman Emlyn Roberts had taught his pet sheep Rolo dog tricks, thanks to its time growing up around collies for five years.
Competing against sheepdogs, Rolo learned to jump through hoops, became used to walking on a lead and developed the skill of herding ducks.
/Metro/
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