Love me, love my dogs: Shepherdess Emma had no trouble finding lost lambs on her remote Northumberland farm - but finding love was rather harder

At the far end of the field a white lamb lies prone, the mother not far away. The lamb is dead, cloudy-eyed. The ewe looks fit and well, though, and will make a good mother to an orphan lamb, so I open the trailer and make pathetic-sounding ‘meh-meh’ noises to lure her inside. 


She is not fooled. But thankfully, I have Roy with me, my best working dog. Sheep always know who’s the boss when he’s around. 


At a word he shoots off to gather her in and as he backs her towards me, I take the opportunity to grab a handful of wool and pull her into the trailer.


Back at the sheds, Alfie, my youngest collie, then plays his part in the drama. After skinning the dead lamb, I slip the fleece jacket over an orphan of a similar size and introduce the ‘reincarnated’ lamb to the mother.        More Read