Farm Fresh Blog

 This ewe will always hold a special place in my heart. She wasn't a particularly beautiful sheep, but she had a beautiful heart, and I felt her loss deeply. One of the reasons why this little ewe stood out was because of her special friendship with Briar. While the other sheep ignored the giant pup, Roanie was her friend, and that friendship continued as Briar grew up and Roanie grew older.

And so it was that when Roanie died, leaving her little ram lamb an orphan, I never questioned whether or not we'd keep him. Checkers wasn't livestock, Checkers was family.

Roanie died when I was in South Texas and the flock was still with Dear Friends Kim & Clyde. Because Checkers had already been eating solid food, Dear Friend Clyde began pulling Checkers at meal time and feeding him separately to make sure he got his share of the groceries.

He even runs after Clyde and baaaas, and if he hears the 4 Wheeler he starts looking for Clyde. Mister Checkers has been elevated to the highest level of livestock - pet.

Like his mother, Checkers is something special. And like his mother, he has his own dog. Enter Andre.

Andre the Giant is a littermate of Judge & Jury. Dear Friend Kim picked up one puppy at the same time I picked up two puppies. Since little Andre (the Giant) was lonely without his littermates, he found a ready friend in an orphan lamb. Dear Friend Kim reported that these guys are pasture buddies.

Andre needed a friend, and so did Checkers, and they found each other. I soon realized it was in the best interest of both the lamb and the puppy to leave them together. As much as I wanted to keep a part of Roanie, when I see Checkers with Andre, I remember Roanie and Briar, and who am I to break up a friendship like that.