# My Lovely Old Girl Has Gone



## Sheepshape (Jul 26, 2017)

Longface was in her teens. 13,14 or maybe more. Bought as an 'old ewe with one more year in her' along with 19 others in 2009, she was aged about 7 then. Her endearing personality and charm meant she stayed, and stayed  and stayed. Deemed 'toothless', she was marked 'for slaughter' by experienced neighbour in 2010. I changed her mark to hide her from OH and placed her back in with the breeding ewes.

Longface continued fat and fertile until 2013, when her milk supply dropped off at about 2 weeks after giving birth, so from then on she was a 'retired lady'. She had other ideas, though, and was impregnated by the neighbour's ram (totally unbeknownst to all of us until her belly started to swell in January 2014) and she produced 3 lambs. They were mainly bottle fed. 2015 she had (planned) twins, but struggled again with milk....so retired again and kept very close to the house and as far as possible away from any rams.

Towards the middle of 2016 she really began to slow down with arthritis and the winter was difficult for her....kept in good condition by waiting for her to come down for her ewe food and selectively feeding her treats. Since March she has been losing weight slowly, no longer willing to fight to get to food, tired and arthritic. A jaw lump was expanding. I knew the time was getting close.

I considered 4 options....1).Hope she quietly went to sleep in the corner of the field and didn't wake up. It didn't look like it was going to happen. She just was getting more tired and ever slower. I couldn't let her linger until she could no longer feed herself....food always having been her great passion.

2) Have her 'on farm euthanised' by the vet. I had a head injured ram euthanised a short while ago, and it wasn't quite the 'easy death' I'd expected. Having to hold him whilst neck shaved and neck veins found, and then injected.

3) Have her shot by marksman neighbour.....this was certainly an option, but meant isolating her in the shed and hoping she died quickly first shot.

4) Sending her to market. I've been to the abattoir and observed the way the animals are kept with their own flock members, kept calm and quiet and, stunned very effectively, die immediately. (This may not be true for all abattoirs, but it is for our local one.)

I reluctantly chose 4 after . 

She went to market with other ewes who had had pregnancy problems, prolapse, severe mastitis, milk failure etc. (this included one of her daughters who had had to have a Caesarian for a severe prolapse). She loaded quietly into the trailer after several of her favourite chocolate biscuits and left, tears streaming down my face.

How I am missing her. I still have 3 of her daughters....lovely ewes with lovely lambs.

26 lambs to her name...and probably 14 years old. 

There'll never be another Longface.


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## Southern by choice (Jul 26, 2017)

So sorry Sheepshape. So very hard with our old friends.
Her story is a special one for sure... these are the ones that leave their mark on your heart and in your mind.


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## frustratedearthmother (Jul 26, 2017)

Sad right along with you.  Those ol' gals sure carve out a niche in our hearts!


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## promiseacres (Jul 26, 2017)




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## Hens and Roos (Jul 26, 2017)




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## misfitmorgan (Jul 26, 2017)

I'm sorry to hear you had to make such a hard decision but at least you made a good one. Always better to end their life ever so slightly shorter while in reasonable condition then to let them starve to death, much kinder death.


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## Baymule (Jul 26, 2017)

Love means having to make those difficult decisions. Love is putting what is best for Longface ahead of your own emotions. You did the right thing.


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## Sheepshape (Jul 26, 2017)

Thank you all for your kind words.

This is how I like to remember her.


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## babsbag (Jul 26, 2017)

Never the easy choices but ones that we all must face.   You have her memories and her daughters to cherish.


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## Latestarter (Jul 27, 2017)

So sorry but remember her just as she is in the above picture rather than as the old failing girl you let go of. I hope one of her daughters will earn her place in your heart.


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## Sheepshape (Jul 27, 2017)

Latestarter said:


> I hope one of her daughters will earn her place in your heart.


 Quite honestly, they already do. The oldest, Bluebelle, sounds like her, looks a lot like her, is an excellent mum, and loves to be hugged and petted. Sister of the daughter who went to market with her, Emily, is lighter in markings, but is friendly and an excellent mum. Youngest daughter is, Arya, had a very shaky start to life. She appeared stillborn, and I gave her mouth-to-muzzle. She had a few fits shortly after her first few gasps related probably to anoxia, and passed black urine the following day due to muscle breakdown. One of triplets, she was a full bottle lamb right from the start.

This is Arya now




 
She's really spoilt and super-friendly.

So....her legacy lives on....but I still miss her.


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## Baymule (Jul 27, 2017)

Longface was family. Our favorites wrap around our hearts and leave an empty place when they are gone. Big hugs.


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## Sheepshape (Jul 28, 2017)

Baymule said:


> Longface was family. Our favorites wrap around our hearts and leave an empty place when they are gone. Big hugs.


 How right you are, Baymule.


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## Devonviolet (Jul 28, 2017)

Oh sweet Sheepshape!      My heart is breaking for you, as tears stream down my face.   Though they can never take her place,  I'm so glad you have some of her daughter's, to help fill that void.


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