Katie is the kind of mom we all flocked to as kids: she’s warm, welcoming, and treats everyone like family.

Sadly, sheep like Katie rarely get to express their maternal instincts. She’s a Katahdin, and her partner, Kevin, is a Barbados Black Belly—two breeds often raised for meat. In fact, their previous guardians bought them from a breeding facility in hopes of sparing the family from this fate.

While sheep’s meat—“lamb” when babies and “mutton” as adults—is not the top source of “red meat” in this country, consumption is on the rise worldwide. In 2016, more than 550 million sheep lost their lives to the meat industry—making them the third largest group of land animals slaughtered, after chickens and pigs.

Had the pair’s daughters, Josie and Maple, been born at this facility, they might have faced slaughter at just six to eight months old. Or, they could have become “breeding ewes” like Katie—forced to give birth to lambs they’d soon lose, and then slaughtered for meat once their own bodies wore out.

But sheep, just like humans, make dedicated mothers. They have special sounds that they use solely for communicating with their lambs. They also bond through nursing, and most children will stay with their mothers well into adulthood if given the chance.

When Katie gave birth at her new guardians’ home, she kept a close eye on her babies. As it turned out, she had good reason to remain on guard. Though well-intentioned, their guardians failed to provide the care this growing family needed. Katie was so malnourished she could barely nurse her babies; to survive, she and Kevin ate the wool off each other’s backs.

At Farm Sanctuary’s Southern California shelter, we nursed this family back to health. While timid at first, they slowly warmed up to us—especially after joining the rest of our flock.

At Sanctuary, Katie is the best “barn mom” you could ask for. She spends her days roaming the hillsides with Josie and Maple bouncing at her side. At night, they snuggle close in their warm straw barn with new “brothers” Max, Shawn, and Phry—former orphans who also arrived here as lambs, and whom Katie has welcomed as her own.

This Mother’s Day, you can “adopt” this family through our Adopt a Farm Animal Program. Your one-time donation goes directly towards their care, as well as our work to keep more farm animal families together. As a sponsor, you’ll receive a special digital certificate that you can print for yourself or email to your loved ones. It’s a great way to honor the bond between a mom and her kids—no matter the species.