Merlin the sheep came to me by chance four years ago. A friend of mine had a lamb she was bottle-feeding, but she couldn’t look after it any more 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 village nearby, where I’ve kept horses for about 13 years. I needed some help clearing the weeds that the horses wouldn’t eat and sheep seemed like the best solution because they’ll eat anything – so I said yes.
The lamb was called Bambi and when I came to collect her, my friend offered me another lamb, Merlin. Shortly after, Bambi died and it was just Merlin left. It wasn’t long until he started to show his special powers.
I’ve worked as an equine therapist for eight years, helping people with illness, depression and grief. My practice involves outdoor therapy and my horses are my usual assistants. My clients visit me in the field, they stroke and cuddle the animals and it eases them into a state of calmness that allows them to open up about the things they may never have been able to talk about.
After I got Merlin I realised that sheep are some of the most relaxed mammals, which makes them the perfect therapists because being near them calms people down too. Merlin in particular has a knack for it. I first saw this during a therapy session with a client who had severe depression. Merlin was just six months old at the time; he trotted up to her and pushed his body on to her leg. She laughed and bent down to cuddle him – until then this woman hadn’t smiled for almost a year.
From then on, Merlin blossomed into an incredibly empathetic and sensitive animal. I never force him to interact with clients; he comes to them naturally when he can sense that they’re suffering. In February last year, he left his food and ran across the snowy field to comfort a client who was grieving the death of her son.
Merlin oozes love and affection. He also has a silly side. He’s playful like a cheeky labrador, and adores it when people scratch his head – he’s more dog-like than dogs. I even wrote a children’s book, called Merlin Finds His Magic, all about the life of the therapy 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 to Sinéad Campbell
