Animal Rescue! A Story from Gail

Wow, what a morning I had!  I started out by simply getting on my bike for a quick exercise ride into town before the afternoon rain was supposed to come and I ended up rescuing a sweet, little baby lamb.  Literally!  This poor thing would definitely have died if I hadn't somehow miraculously been there just at the exact moment to see what was happening and to do something about it.  What a moment for both of us!

This fuzzy love thang is named Chocolate Drop and today was her unlucky, yet very lucky day.  So the story goes, as I was riding my bike west to town I slowed down at the iconic farm at Mile 2 where I hoped to take a picture if the sun was right.  They have cows, and sheep and goats in the large field and it is always so beautiful.  Well, as I looked down I noticed that all the animals were together as a group and heading west towards the pasture behind the barn, but there was one little black lamb left far behind in a field surrounded by a stream and dense bog on one side, blackberry vines and a fence on the other, and the forest behind.  She was trapped and didn't know what to do.

She was crying and crying, and sometimes the sheep would call back for her, but no one was waiting for her or trying to guide her to the safe path to them.  So in frightened desperation she plunged forward into the reeds and water and cattails surrounding the stream and dropped out of sight.  I could hear her calling in a panic and several times I saw her head pop up as she tried to jump through the thicket, but at some point all motion and sound stopped.  I knew she was in trouble.

With amazing fortune there was a little self-serve produce stand (Seeds of Oregon) right across the street from the farm building, and more fortunate than that when I rode up the owner (Judy) was actually in there restocking for goods for sale.  I told her about the lamb in distress and she said she would call the owner of the ranch.  So I rode back to the place where I first saw everything and waited...and waited.  I thought the owners would come quickly, but it turned out they didn't even live on the property - they just rent the land and live about 25 minutes away in Waldport north of us.  Judy had driven up to me by then and was chatting about the history of the area, but I could barely concentrate on her as the lamb was silent and that seemed bad news.  I asked her it there was water in the cattails, and Judy said yes...and I asked her if it was deep enough for the lamb to drown and he said yes.  So I went into action.

I asked if there was any way to get down to the blackberries and she told me where the fence was so I went for it.  I lifted my bike over the fence gate and ran down to the stream and just plunged in.  At that point it was like looking for a needle in a haystack - all the growth was so thick and tall, plus I thought I might get stuck myself!  I searched and searched for a long time, then unbelievably I heard a tiny splash next to my leg and I looked down and there she was! - her head barely above water!

I shouted and waved, "I found her!  I found her!", but it turned out no one even heard me as Judy had left.  I waited for a long time again and then realized I had to get this lamb out myself.  So I struggled to stand and get a strong foot hold and I reached down and managed to pull her out of the main stream and onto my lap sitting in the reeds.

The poor animal was shivering intensely with hypothermia and fear and I held her and rubbed her coat for what seemed like over 20 minutes, waving occasionally at a passing car for help, but I think no one saw me.  To hold her, and smell her, and try to comfort her was an intense experience and in my mind later I went back to moment working with oiled birds at the International Bird Rescue, or Sarah's stories about cuddling premature babies at the NICU wing of her hospital.

Again I realized I had to get her out myself so I pushed to get myself standing, and knowing that I would never probably cross the stream with her in my arms I carried her back to where she started.  I spent some more time there warming her and looking for a place where I might try crossing.  Quite a ways down to the east it seemed like there were less reeds and cattails and so I thought the bog would be less challenging.  So I carried her there and went in, and made it!  I was so relieved!

From there I just had to carry here back to her herd, resting every couple hundred feet or so to catch my breath.  She was a big baby!  When I finally got close I met another obstacle.  The cows!

They were intent on me and upset by my presence and twice came loping and rushing towards me.  I worried they might want to trample me in defense, so I got as close as I dared and put the lamb down and backed off to the side.  Still the cows came at me so I climbed through the barbed wire fence.  The cows then all surrounded the little lamb and gave her a good sniffing over and I wondered about her safety, but it turns out they were just curious, and with great relief finally I saw two women arrive onto the field and head to my shaking lamb.

The owner's name was Tiffany and though in the mayhem I didn't get introduced I think the young girl was her daughter.  They tethered up Chocolate Drop's mom, named Tootsie Roll, and pulled her and Chocolate's sister, Brownie, together to bring to the barn for warming and nurturing.  It looked like Chocolate may have even suckled for a moment which was a good sign.

I got a warm thank you from Tiffany, curious goats nibbling at my jacket, and an opportunity to shoot a few photographs which made my day.  Ironically, she asked me in gratitude if she could give me any lamb or goat meat to take home, but oh my goodness, after this personal experience how could I ever think of that!  She laughed and waved good-bye. 

Good luck little Chocolate Drop - 

it was a delight to have met you!