Happy Birthday Josh!
Animal Stories from All-Creatures.org

From The Gentle Barn
December 2011

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Josh and his mom, Nonie (who is no longer with us), were The Gentle Barn's first sheep. They were rescued from an abusive petting zoo and were terrified of humans. Josh was just a youngster but he had already had such horrible encounters with his abusers that he learned that people were not safe for him. It took us months to nurse Josh and his mom back to health, trim their overgrown nails, give them good nutrition and show them that we could be trusted. Once healed, Josh and Nonie were the first at the gate to charm visitors with their golden eyes and marshmallow hair.

Josh was one of the lucky ones to grow up with a loving mom, most farmed animals are ripped away from their families to cry and suffer alone. We have many orphaned animals that we bring home to The Gentle Barn and because Josh had a mom, he has so much love to give back to these lonely babies. Josh, because of his good bonding with his mom, helped raised our sheep Stanley and Toulouse when they had no mom and would not seek comfort from us because at first they saw us as their kidnappers. We knew we were saving them, but they did not. All they knew was that they were cruelly taken away from their moms before we came into the picture. Because of Josh, they settled into The Gentle Barn, made friends with everyone, and eventually accepted our love.

Josh turned 13 this month, which according to our vet is nothing short of a miracle. Most sheep live till about 8-10. Everyday with Josh is a blessing and we are grateful for his generosity to our new animals, his gentleness with the children that come here, and his smile which lights up the world!


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