Life is a journey filled with ups and downs, and things don’t always turn out as we except them to, but what’s life most about are all those people and other living creatures that are there when we need them the most.
Compassion is one of the things that move this world and being able to provide others with it is what makes us good individuals. People, however, are not the only ones who possess the ability of being compassionate. Animals have it too, and it’s surprising how much they are willing to give it to others, no matter if they are of their kind or not.
When Jerry the little lamb was born he was unlike his siblings. His tiny appearance made his mother reject him completely and give all her love to the bigger and healthier lambs she had given birth to.
Sadly, it meant the poor animal would die. Well, unless bottle fed and given all the love one can ever experience.
The farmer didn’t think the fragile lamb was worth the care and the effort and Jerry was left on his own.
But as we all know, many times, God has other plans and great things are awaiting for us when we least expect.
“He would never get big enough to be ‘worth it’ [for the farmer],” explained Megan Mostacci, cofounder of Black Goat Farm and Sanctuary, to The Dodo.
Megan took Jerry in and allowed him to be surrounded by other animals who shared his destiny.
The sweet little lamb found a place he could consider home. There, he could turn into a strong and healthy animal everyone would fall in love with. At the time he arrived at the Black Goat Farm and Sanctuary, Jerry was only a few days old.
This amazing place provides permanent residence for animals in need and everyone there is loved and well taken care of. So it was just the perfect home for Jerry.
The owners of this sanctuary are at the same time doing their best “to raise awareness on how livestock are treated as a whole across this country. ” They say, “We want everyone to see them as we do – intelligent, caring, individual, and sentient.”
Megan remembers the time when she and her husband brought Jerry at the vet’s where they told them the poor lamb was experiencing some severe respiratory infection and a septic infection in his joints. But despite all this, Jerry was willing to fight for a better life.
From the moment he entered the sanctuary, all the animals there grew fond of Jerry. However, it looked like two of them, a Nova Scotia duck tolling retriever named Drake and an Australian shepherd named Lincoln became his best friends for life.
The relation Jerry formed with Drake, however, was indeed very special. The dog made sure the lamb was always clean and happy and it was such an incredible thing to witness.
These two were more than friends. It looked like Jerry found in Drake the mother he never had. This time, he wasn’t rejected but accepted and loved for who he really was.
Megan once shared a very special photo of the two best friends writing, “I left for a couple minutes and came back to this.”
Jerry was laying on top of Drake the way lambs lay on their moms and it was obvious this lamb found his security and comfort in the loving dog.
Jerry seemed to be on the way of his full recovery and all the animals at the sanctuary were to thank for the incredible progress he made in such a short period of time.
Sadly, Jerry is no longer around. He passed away recently but his vibrant personality and his will to be accepted and live a normal life are here to remind us that many of us do get second chances.
Thanks to Megan and her dogs, the lamb’s short life was one worth living.
If you love what Megan is doing for animals in need, you can make a donation to her sanctuary here.