The pet I’ll never forget: Merlin the therapy sheep | Animals

Mr.Erlin the sheep came to me by chance four years ago. A friend of mine had a lamb that she was bottle-feeding, but she couldn’t take care of it anymore so she asked me if I could take care of it. I live in Moortown, Leeds, and rent about three hectares (seven acres) of land in Eccup, a small nearby village, where I have been breeding horses for about 13 years. I needed help removing weeds that the horses didn’t want to eat and sheep seemed like the best solution because they would eat anything – so I said yes.

The lamb was called Bambi and when I came to pick her up, my friend offered me another lamb, Merlin. Soon after, Bambi died and only Merlin left. It wasn’t long before he started showing his special powers.

I have worked as an equine therapist for eight years, helping people suffering from illness, depression and bereavement. My practice involves outdoor therapy and my horses are my usual assistants. My clients visit me in the field, they pet and cuddle the animals and it brings them into a state of calm that allows them to open up about things they might never have been able to talk about.

After purchasing Merlin, I realized that sheep are some of the most relaxed mammals, which makes them perfect therapists, as being around them also calms people. Merlin in particular has a gift for this. I first saw this during a therapy session with a client suffering from severe depression. Merlin was only six months old at the time; he trotted towards her and pushed her body onto her leg. She laughed and leaned over to hug him – until then, this woman hadn’t smiled in almost a year.

From then on, Merlin became an incredibly empathetic and sensitive animal. I never force him to interact with customers; he comes to them naturally when he feels they are suffering. In February last year, he left his food and ran across a snowy field to comfort a customer who was grieving the death of her son.

Merlin exudes love and affection. He also has a silly side. He is playful like a cheeky Labrador and loves it when people scratch their heads – he is more like a dog than dogs. I even wrote a children’s book, called Merlin Finds His Magic, which chronicles the life of the therapeutic sheep.

I now have six sheep on my land who help me with my work, but Merlin is the shining star of the flock.

As told by Sinéad Campbell