Lefty

Oh Lefty. How do I write about such a beautiful soul and do him justice? All I can do is try…

One day in August 2011, two little wethers were dropped just inside our gate. The farmer mentioned that he had been calling one “Albert Einstein” because he was so smart and the other one “Crazy Eyes” because he was a little bit “Not Quite Right” in his words. “Crazy Eyes” had apparently had his horns cut down way too close to his head and the farmer thought the antiseptic ointment got into his brain somehow. I don’t know if I believe that or if I believe that ‘Crazy Eyes” was just a little bit weaker and sicklier than his other sheep. A few days with us and “Albert Einstein” was known as “Righty” and “Crazy Eyes” was known as “Lefty”.

Affectionate and gentle Lefty

After a few months with us, these two little scared boys became friendly, cheeky sheep and their personalities started to shine through. Righty was obviously the mastermind of the duo, always thinking and always watching. Lefty was the the quiet, reserved sheep who didn’t want any trouble, he’d often stare at me for the longest time and then he’d amble over and sniff my face. Lefty was unable to, or was too uncomfortable to baa for a few months, but when he started to baa he couldn’t be stopped!

Lefty to learnt to baa after being with us for three months

Lefty and J became the best of friends. Every morning Lefty would walk over to J whilst he was sitting on his chair outside and place his head on his lap for a pat. J loved Lefty like he loves his beloved dog. No sheep I’ve ever known has loved affection as much as Lefty, he lived for it. He’d put his head under your hand and asked to be petted.

J and Lefty. An unbreakable bond.

Lefty and Righty were always so close, they had came from the same farm and had both been bottle raised at the same time as they were both orphans. Best friends stick together and look after each other, and this is just what Lefty and Righty did. When a little lamb called Junior was introduced into the flock, Lefty became so upset and jealous of him, that he treated him terribly for a week or so. Everything calmed down eventually and we had Righty (Mr smart leader), Junior (Mr free spirit), and Lefty (Mr gentleman, affectionate soul)as our flock.

The best of mates

The day we lost Lefty for good was on January 8, 2013. We had no idea that day would bring such heartache and we would loose our beautiful boy for good. He went down hill rapidly from a combination of heat and blood, oxygen and heart problems. The vet’s couldn’t save him. It just happened so quickly. He died with his head in J’s lap whilst being told he was loved.

The morning after Lefty passed away, I found Righty calling for Lefty. He thought he was in the sheep shed. I took Righty around and showed him Lefty’s body before he was buried. It is one of the most heartbreaking things I’ve ever done. Righty sniffed Lefty’s face for quite a few minutes and then looked up and stared right into my eyes with a look of “No?”. Righty has been extremely lost without his best mate for the last couple of weeks. Every now and again he looks around and calls for him. He has been incredibly depressed. Don’t ever let anyone tell you animals don’t grieve, they grieve as deeply for their loved ones as you or I.

Best friends, Lefty and Righty.

We all miss our gentle family member Lefty, with his gorgeous eyes that looked right into your soul. It’s a shock to walk out the front door and not have to step over 80kgs of sheep dozing in his favourite spot right on the doorstep. It’s a shock to see Righty without Lefty. It’s a shock to not have a surprise sheep head under your hand asking for a pat whilst you go about your daily chores. It’s just such a shock to have such a big part or your family ripped away so soon. He was so young. Only nearly 3 years old.

Sweet Lefty and Me.

We love you our beautiful boy. You will never leave our hearts. There is no-one like you.

The following is a slideshow of selected photographs from Lefty’s life.

Please don’t use my images without permission. All images are Copyright Tamara Kenneally