A north-east family ended up with more than they bargained for when they took in an orphan lamb, as it soon became clear that little Tallulah believes she is a dog.
When 11-year-old Yasemin Thomas heard about the unfortunate sheep from a pal at school, she brought it to the family’s croft at Kininmonth and started secretly looking after it in the barn where the family’s horses stay.
After her mum, Louise Thomas, noticed the lamb she had to be persuaded into keeping it at Corse Croft.
Soon enough though, the friendly creature was named Talullah and became a part of the family.
Ms Thomas explained that the sheep’s quirks only became clear when they tried to get her to live in a field like others of her kind.
She said: “Yasemin absolutely adores animals, and hid her in the barn for two days before I even realised she was there.
“She pleaded for us to keep her.
“I wasn’t sure at first but she eventually got her way and now everyone loves her to pieces.”
She added: “We tried treating her like a normal sheep but she didn’t seem to like it very much.
“She’d scream and scream when we kept her in the field and nobody could get any sleep because of her, so she got exactly what she wanted in the end.”
Tallulah has a big personality and, when she isn’t stealing grapes from the fruit bowl, she likes to be treated just like one of the dogs.
“The dogs aren’t fazed by her, they all treat her like she’s one of them,” Ms Thomas said.
“She likes to eat, sleep and play, and even the horses love her too.”
Talullah also has her own pink collar, especially chosen by Yasemin, and is “just like a pet” to the family now.
Although Tallulah is an unusual sheep, she is not the only one who seems to identify as a dog.
Overjoyed north family reunited with pet lamb Effie three days after she was bundled into van
Effie, a lamb reared in Nairn in the Highlands, is another which displays such curious characteristics.
It was her friendly nature that led to a passer-by recognising her when she was stolen earlier this month, and returning her to her loved ones.
