Meet the real sheep dog: Hand-reared lamb follows owner everywhere.. even to the pub

By CHRIS PARSONS

House-trained: Guinness the lamb and Kate's dog Bonnie live happily together since she took him in as an orphan

When Katie Burton considered what kind of animal she wanted around the house, she gave the matter a lot more thought than most pet owners.
That's why while most people are happy with cats, dogs, or rodents, Katie made the unusual choice of taking in and house training a lamb.
But 10 months after Guiness the lamb was orphaned when his mother died giving birth, Katie has formed a close bond with her unlikely woolly companion.

Wool you believe it: Guinness makes a cheeky bid for a snack in the fridge as part of his comfortable lifestyle

Guiness has become a literal sheep-dog after following Katie everywhere - from the shop and the kitchen of her house to the pub and even playgroup.
Katie, 36, said: ‘Sheep farmers have often not got time to look after orphan lambs and so I took him in and bottle fed him and hand reared him because I thought it would be nice to have a sheep about the place.

Best of friends: Bonnie and Guinness take some time to relax on the kitchen floor at Katie's home in Petersfield, Hampshire

'I run a livery yard and I thought it would be one way of getting horses used to sheep. 'Lots of horses are absolutely terrified of them but no-one can be scared of Guinness when he wanders past without a care in the world.
'I never expected Guinness to become so tame but he was friendly from the word go and soon had the run of the place.

Part of the furniture: Guinness is so familiar with his surroundings he is even welcomed to Katie's local pub

'He has free rein to roam about the yard and doesn’t have a field or a pen. He just goes where he feels like it.
'He gets in the car and comes into the kitchen to try to find something to eat even thought there is plenty of food for him outside. He is very happy to snack on the horse feed.’
The bond between woman and sheep became even stronger last year when a dog got into the yard near Petersfield, Hampshire, and savaged Guinness around the head.
Katie, 36, said: ‘He was five months old at the time and looked a terrible mess with half his face ripped off – one bite had gone right through his nose and he could hardly breathe.

Kids' favourite: Guinness joins in with some family fun at Katie's local playgroup in Hampshire

source: dailymail