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Here’s what a spoiled rotten house lamb wears for playtime in the barnyard on a cold morning.  Tiny likes the red flannel ‘coat’ with its black trim and faux fleece lining.   It has velcro closures at the chest and belly, and the two sleeves fit her front legs perfectly.  Tiny likes the chickens’ cracked corn, too.  It’s tasty, but her teeth are just starting to grow in, so she can’t chew it very well.

Tiny, the bottle lamb, samples the hens' corn

She’s learning to pose for the camera, preferably with her collar turned down and her jacket hanging open so we can see how well her own natural fleece matches the jacket’s faux fleece.

Bebe, the farmcollie, tries to catch Tiny for a quick face-licking.

After every snack, Tiny gets her face washed by one of the dogs.  Here’s Bebe moving in for the task.  Like any small child, Tiny doesn’t always cooperate.  Sometimes she kicks up her heels and runs away as fast as she can.  Take a close look at that dog’s tongue.  Seriously, I can’t blame Tiny.  I’d rather not be licked all day by that tongue either.

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Seriously . . . ewww!

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Leap!  Run!

Dinah, the farmcollie, tries to catch Tiny, the lamb

Dinah pitches in to help catch the lamb.  Tiny’s really fast now, and she’s mastered the art of quick turns in the snow.

Dinah, the farmcollie, catches Tiny.

Dinah learned this trick from our old Australian Shepherd, who’s been catching escaped rabbits in our rabbitry this way for years.  The Aussie holds them for me with a gentle grip until I can catch up to him and pick up the rabbit.  (I wouldn’t trust just any dog that did this.)  Dinah didn’t waste any time.  She caught Tiny, then quickly washed her face.

Dinah & Bebe clean the lamb.

After Dinah finished, Bebe checked her ears.

Tiny, the bottle lamb, still expects to find an udder beneath anything that stands taller than her on four legs.

Then Tiny started hunting for another snack.  She still hunts for an udder full of milk under anything that stands taller than her on four legs.

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Tiny’s young, and she’s easily distracted.  And she likes to be nuzzled and snuggled, even by dogs.  Especially by dogs.  I suspect she’ll need therapy for that when she’s older.

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