Prepare for your heart to melt as you watch this video of a lamb being treated like a domesticated pet.
The clip, shared by owner Stephenie Watts (@stephenie.watts), shows Oaks the lamb sitting on a couch, wearing a diaper, cuddling with Watts and walking around.
The video, posted on October 19, has garnered more than 1.4 million views and 346,000 likes. Text layered over clip said, "You thought you were getting a lamb, but turns out he has the soul of a puppy."
In the video's caption, Watts suggested that although Oaks had plenty of land to explore, he seemed to prefer the comforts inside her house.
She wrote, "Meet our sweet baby Oaks. He has 5 acres to roam, two sister sheep, and a big red barn."
Newsweek has contacted Stephenie Watts for comment.
"I love that he's smiling the entire video. That baby knows he's got something special," one viewer commented.
"I was not prepared for the cuteness overload," another added, while a commenter said, "I have never been so jealous of someone before."
"Obsessed!! My goat used to get spoiled like this," a user wrote.
Other users expressed their desire to get a pet lamb.
Sheep as Pets
Though sheep aren't adopted as often as dogs and cats, they can indeed be kept as pets, according to Sheep 101, an information site run by Susan Schoenian, a sheep and goat specialist at the University of Maryland's Western Maryland Research and Education Center.
The site warned, however, that getting a pet sheep should not be an impulsive decision. It encouraged prospective owners to educate themselves about sheep care beforehand.
"Females (ewes) or wethers (castrated males) are recommended for pets," said the beginner's guide to raising sheep. It also advised against keeping rams.
Owners are advised to invest in proper fencing to keep their sheep and other animals, including domesticated dogs, safe. Since sheep are prey animals, even the calmest dog may feel the instinct to chase them. However, with the right training, a dog with a suitable temperament may befriend sheep or other species.
Sheep 101 also said that pet sheep, when well cared for, may live for 10 to 12 years. During that time, owners must be mindful of their feeding, as one of the biggest challenges in keeping sheep as pets is preventing them from becoming overweight.
The website said: "It is not healthy for a sheep to be fat. They are less likely to get fat if they are consuming a strictly forage diet: hay, grass, browse, etc. They are also less likely to experience any health problems if they are eating forage diets. While sheep can safely be fed concentrates (grain) in production situations, grain feeding makes sheep more susceptible to various diseases including acidosis, bloat, enterotoxemia, urinary calculi, and polio."
Do you have funny and adorable videos or pictures of your pet you want to share? Send them to life@newsweek.com with some details about your best friend, and they could appear in our "Pet of the Week" lineup.
English (US) ·