When a newborn lamb was rejected by her mother, the family dog stepped in to nurture her
A mother's urge to care for a baby is one of the strongest instincts in the animal kingdom
Max took over when Beau's mom refused to care for her.
A mother's urge to care for a baby is one of the strongest instincts in the animal kingdom, but sometimes something somewhere along the line goes haywire. Occasionally, a mom will reject its offspring, refusing to nurture or feed or care for it in any way.
That's what happened to baby Beau, a lamb born to a sheep on Olivia Akers' farm.
"Beau’s mom didn’t want to be a mom. I don’t have an exact answer as to why," Akers shared on Instagram. "I tried EVERYTHING under the sun to get her to accept Beau. Rubbing the placenta for scent, also tried with her milk, giving them time in close quarters. She got progressively more violent, telling me she didn’t want to do this. So I listened."
While Beau had to be bottle-fed by humans, she wasn't left completely unnurtured by her four-legged counterparts. The family dog, Max, took an immediate liking to her, and according to Akers, it was like "love at first sight."
"The second Max laid eyes on Beau, it was HER baby," Akers wrote. "She protected her, cleaned her, played with her…and most importantly, Max loved her."
The two became inseparable, romping around in the pasture together, grooming and snuggling with one another. Beau spent so much time with Max that she started developing dog-like traits. (Max is a "super mutt," according to Akers—a mix of Blue Heeler, Pitbull Terrier, German Shepherd, and Husky—so no particular breed's traits.)
Finally, Beau grew up enough to go live with the other sheep, but she and Max have remained close pals.
Watch:
@oliviajaneakers Reply to @2crazymuppets Max and Beau forever 🥰......#maxandbeau #oddcouples #bestfriends#sheep #lamb #ram #ewe #babysheep #babydollsheep #oldeenglishbabydoll #thedodo #dodo #baby #babyanimals #animals #cute #cuteanimals #picoftheday #animalsofig #minisheep #miniaturesheep #farm #farmlife #farmanimals #farmher #homestead #minifarm #farmstead
People love Max and Beau's story.
"Beau is no longer sheep, Beau is now a good dog," wrote one commenter.
"I had a dog when I was really little that was taken from his mom too early and our rabbit adopted him and they always snuggled at night," shared another.
"This is so cool! I have a week old black sheep and my black dog Maxine aka max does this same thing!!! Her mother died in child birth," shared another.
"Yay Max!!!!!! Beau is so lucky to have you!" wrote another.
Sometimes mothers in nature will reject babies when there's something wrong with them, but sometimes there's not a clear reason. No one knows why Beau's mom refused to care for her, but everyone is so happy that Max stepped into her place.
Max and Beau still play together, and it's pure joy to see them frolicking around on the farm. Max & Beau Part 2 has more footage of Beau all grown up and still pouncing around with her high energy friend, Max.
@oliviajaneakers Pt.2 of the most beautiful friendship I’ve ever witnessed. Per request, more adorable videos of these two 🥰......#maxandbeau #maxandbeauforever #fyp #unlikelyfriends #adopt #sheep #lamb #ram #ewe #babysheep #babydollsheep #oldeenglishbabydoll #thedodo #dodo #baby #babyanimals #animals #cute #cuteanimals #picoftheday #animalsofig #miniaturesheep #farm #farmlife #farmanimals #farmher #homestead #minifarm #farmstead
Those little hops at the end, though. Too, too sweet.
You can follow Max and Beau and the other animals on Akers' farm on TikTok and Instagram.
This article originally appeared on 3.31.24