A Woolly Royal
An adorable woolly visitor created pure joy when it arrived at The Cottage this summer.
The sociable Valais Blacknose lamb, called Margrethe in honour of the Danish Queen, lured the residents outside and everyone was keen to cuddle, pat and feed the six-month old. Ken lives at The Cottage and his daughter, Anette, says when he lived at their Whitford farm and he was surrounded by animals. She thought Margrethe would be a hit with the residents and arranged to take the lamb to The Cottage.
Anette and her husband, Keith, brought Margrethe to their family farm at Whitford because Valais Blacknose are renown for being friendly and behave more like a dog than a sheep. They can go to a paddock and call Margrethe, she answers with a baa and comes to them, without any need for herding.
“She is very smoochy and can be taken on a lead,” says Anette. “It was lovely to see the joy in everyone’s eyes and a real joy for Dad because he used to have animals all around him.”
Riya, the diversional therapist says the residents were super-happy to see the lamb and some were quite surprised. They cracked jokes, enjoyed feeding it with a bottle and touching the wool, which looks like a perm from the 1970s. Afterwards, some residents chatted about family farms and their childhood memories of pets, which led to a discussion about a story in the news about kid-friendly dogs.
Margrethe’s visit was a pure delight and rewarding for everyone, creating fun and initiating memories.