Rosy the sheep: Disabled lamb back on her hooves after learning to use off-road wheelchair

A lamb left disabled by a series of freak paddock accidents is back on her hooves, after learning to use an off-road wheelchair.

Back in June, Rosy - a one-year-old Suffolk breed sheep - broke her back leg while in her field and lay undiscovered overnight. Before she was found, a crow is thought to have pecked one of her eyes out, and she appears to have been attacked by another unknown animal.

Unfortunately her broken leg healed incorrectly and she was left unable to stand properly, so she was taken to The Rescue Ranch in Hatton, Warwickshire, for help. Ranch manager Susan Franks was concerned Rosy would be unable to graze effectively, but her team came up with a novel solution to help her.

Ms Franks, who runs the rescue centre with partner Jules, told SWNS Rosy "was in a bad way" when her previous owner brought her in. "The broken leg was fused and mended badly so she was very unstable. We had to get a vet in straight away"

"She’ll never gain any sight in that eye. Some of her face was attacked as well so she's been through the wars a bit," she continued. "As soon as she arrived here, I thought to myself, what on earth am I going to do to get her walking?"

A kind woman donated the ranch a dog wheelchair, and the team made a few adjustments to accommodate her fleece, Ms Franks said. "We strapped her inside the frame and ever so slowly we encouraged her to take a few steps. She responded really well... We thought brilliant, this is how to get her walking again."

The ranch has only had Rosy for a month, she said, but the sheep had been "very brave", she said. She hoped she would make a full recovery and eventually walk on her own, so she could join the other goats, rabbits, sheep and dogs at the sanctuary.

"We’ve had to get her some bigger wheels, which will get her walking. We’re hoping this is temporary," Ms Franks said. "It’s not ideal for her to have this as a permanent situation, it wouldn’t be fair of her. Our main aim is to get her walking without wheels. We’ve seen a 50% improvement all over really."

A vet comes out once a week to give Rosy physiotherapy, she said, and the sheep was getting stronger and more confident, but for now she relies her wheelchair to get herself around the farm. "At the moment she's really happy and enjoying life. She's enjoying he wheels, she loves her food and all the attention. We're hoping that the physio might get her walking on all four legs again and she won't need the wheels so she can join the rest of the flock on the farm."