This Goat Wasn’t Supposed to Survive—Now She’s Rounding Up Sheep Like a Collie
A tiny goat in a UK farm is melting hearts after deciding she’s actually… a dog. As per Good News Network, Little Lil was the runt of the litter, left out by her mother at birth and too weak to even stand or feed. While her sisters were cared for, Lil was left shivering on her own until the farm staff stepped in. (Watch Video Below)
That’s when she met two kindhearted sheepdogs who welcomed her into their pack, and from that moment on, Lil started living life the dog way.
A Shunned Runt
Born a tiny triplet on a farm in Wiltshire, England, Lil came into the world weighing just one-third of a normal baby goat, only 5 inches tall, while normally newborns stand nearly a foot high. Since Lil was too weak to suckle, she was left out by her mother, who tended to her stronger babies instead by feeding and washing them.
That meant Lil was not only hungry but also cold and motherless. Farm manager Julia Stewart and her team tube-fed the goat and used straw and towels to keep the newborn as warm as possible. They tried leaving her with her mother for a night, but it quickly became clear she wouldn’t survive like that.
So, the staff made a tough but life-saving choice. They moved Lil into their caravan, which is used as an office and staff room. “You don’t take them away from their mum unless you really have to,” says Julia.
New Beginning With Border Collies
The caravan just so happens to be home to two Border Collies, Luna and Nya, the farm’s working sheepdogs. From the very beginning, the pups took Lil under their wing, treating her like one of their own. They groom her, play with her, and even snuggle her to sleep.
Now, the goat is five weeks old and thriving as a new member of the sheepdog family. She has started to think that she’s a sheepdog herself, as she can be seen copying Luna and Nye in rounding up the flock.
Lil is now much more interested in dogs than her own species. If she is ever left with the goats, she overtly voices her unhappiness and would rather be with Julia and the dogs.
Julia and the staff definitely find it unusual but also fascinating as they plan to continue Lil’s training to be a sheepdog under her friend Nye’s tutelage. Julia states, “Lil will always have that special bond with the dogs.”
