Timmy might be covered in white wool and occasionally say, “Baa,” but on the inside this Derbyshire sheep is 100 percent canine.
Orphaned at only a few days old, Timmy was brought up inside the house instead of the barn and fields surrounding his home, and he learned very early on the benefits of living a dog’s life.
Timmy’s owners, husband and wife Samantha and Eric Perry of Aston-on-Trent, say that their little lamb acted like a puppy from the start.
“Timmy definitely thinks he’s a dog,” Samantha tells the Daily Mail, “he always has.”
Samantha and Eric bottle-fed Timmy when he was a young lamb at Clover Leaf Farm, but now at 18-months-old, Timmy much prefers a different treat.
“He will eat absolutely anything we give him,” says Samantha of Timmy, “but his favorite food is dog biscuits. He absolutely loves them.”
Though he was allowed inside the Perry’s home when he was smaller, Samantha and Eric have since moved their lovable 200 lb. “sheep dog” into a posh outdoor pen where there is more space for him to frolic and play. But Timmy still feels like one of the pack—the Perry’s six other dogs curl up and sleep next to Timmy at night.
During the day, it’s all fun and games for Timmy as he plays with his canine brothers and sisters, including Yorkshire Terrier Poppy, Shih Tzu Daisy-May, Cairn Terrier Tyson, Jack Russell Terrier Sapphire, and Jack Russell Terrier-Yorkshire Terrier mix Barney.
The newest addition to the Perry family, 9-month-old Chihuahua Pandora, looks to Timmy like an older brother.
“Bearing in mind Pandora is only nine months old, she took to Timmy straight away and he is great with her and all the other dogs, just getting on and doing the things they do,” Samantha explains.
“When we take the dogs for a walk, he thinks nothing of coming along with us,” Samantha says of Timmy, who frequently joins his family on trips into town for visits with friends and neighbors.
“He’s become quite a popular figure with the people in the village, especially the children,” Samantha says proudly. “They seem to love him.”
Timmy, not quite sheep and not quite dog, attracts attention wherever he goes. The Perry family acknowledges that Timmy is unique, but for his differences they love him even more.
“I suppose some people might see having a pet sheep as a bit strange but we don’t see it that way,” Samantha tells the Daily Mail. “To us, he’s just part of the farm. The fact that he thinks he’s a dog at the same time just adds a little eccentricity,” she adds.
Source: Daily Mail
