A group of Aberdeenshire pensioners have been given a spring in their step after newborn lambs Poppy and Lamby moved into their care home.
The cuddly animals were introduced at rural Pitcairn Lodge as part of a novel activities programme that helps people keep fit through pet therapy.
The young lambs are able to freely roam around the premises, wearing special nappies to prevent any unwanted mishaps. Activities co-ordinator Donna Ross, who came up with the idea, said the unusual scheme has proven a real success and put a smile on the residents’ faces.
She said: “I live on a farm so I thought I would ask my manager about the idea as a new activity for the residents.
“The lambs walk around with the residents and they take it in turn to feed them and hold them.
“They love it. They really enjoy spending time with the wee sheep.
“We now aim to do something similar every year and possibly involve other types of animals.”
The sheep nap at Ms Ross’s farm close to the care home where residents look forward to Poppy and Lamby’s weekly visit.
And because many of the residents at Pitcairn Lodge have a farming background, the little lambs rekindle some of their most cherished memories.
The home’s oldest resident, Adam Craigmile, 100, who used to work as a farmer, said: “They brought a smile to our faces and they bring back lots of fond memories for us.”
Margaret McArthur, 91, added that the sheep had become all the residents could bleat about.
She said: “They’re lovely. We talk about them all the time in the home – we can’t wait for their visits.”
Care home manager John Murdoch said the lodge had looked into the backgrounds of the residents before they decided to bring in little Poppy and Lamby.
He said: “We looked at the life history of many residents and saw that a lot of our residents come from a farming background, so we thought that bringing the lambs in would bring back fond memories for the residents, and it did.
This is not the first time stressed out Scots in the North-east have enjoyed a bit of pet therapy.
Last year students at the University of Aberdeen were given an unusual way to come with their exam stresses when a special “puppy room” was set up on campus.
They had the chance to relax and play with Labrador and Golden Retriever puppies through the exam season.