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Family pets come in all shapes and sized, from small fish to furry dogs. My pet family is not so usual, I have a big ass, or shall I say, donkey. On at least one occasion she demonstrated a family sense of caring for another one of our pets, a wayward sheep, named "Favorite".

Favorite got her name because she was the friendliest sheep of a bunch of four lambs we bought when we first moved to the country. She sort of thinks she is a dog, able to jump up on you and ask for treats. Not to alarm any readers, our sheep are pets, we don't eat them.

Anyhow I am pretty sure the sheep in question was Favorite, because although it was dark, her personality is the type that would do just what I am about to relate to you.

Aggie, the donkey, is a wonderful gal herself. For those who have not owned a donkey, they are truly special pets who adore people and attention. Aggie will call if somebody is driving up the drive way, and if we are out in the yard and fail to say "hello" to her, she will offer a rather loud commentary on being neglected.

When Aggie brays you can hear her from inside the house. Neighbors down the road by a mile, have even said they can hear her. We do not need a dog, we have Aggie. If I am the least big late for feeding she offers a reminder to get out of bed.

Eleven o'clock at night is a very unusual time for Aggie to bray. My husband was working the night shift and had just left. I was in bed when I heard her, not once, but twice, braying out side my window. I looked out the window and she appeared to be just standing there, so I went back to bed. She would not quit.

It was a chilly winters evening, I put a housecoat on and went to tell her "good night". When I opened the front door of the house to speak to her, I could hear something in the distance. From behind the barn, out of my sight, I could hear "baa, baaaa, baaaaaa" a desperate cry of a sheep. So I got a jacket on and went out into the cold, dark, night to see what was the matter. A sheep had her head stuck in the fence.

Sheep fencing is typically squares made out of wire. To be honest I do not know why the holes seem to be just large enough for a sheep to force its head through, but that is how it happens to be. Once she got her head through, the cold air froze around her warm wool, freezing to the wire, making it impossible for her to pull her head back out.

Like I said, it was dark. I really do not know for sure if it was Favorite Sheep who was stuck that night, but I do know, another member of our family, Aggie the donkey, was responsible for alerting me to the problem and helping the sheep out of her predicament.

One family member helping another. That is what families are all about, and Aggie has demonstrated she is as much a part of the family as anyone.

Learn more about this author, Brenda Nelson.
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