iN VIDEO: Playful lamb at Kelowna rescue farm acts like a dog

Maggie is a five month old lamb not much different than any other— except she behaves more like a dog.

She arrived to the farm at Rescue Ranch Society in Kelowna in May, and owner Rhonda Laturnus has captured a compilation of videos showing Maggie playing with the dogs like it's second nature. 

"She really thinks she’s a dog," Laturnus said. "She loves the cats, but the other animals, she doesn’t want anything to do with them."

Maggie follows Laturnus everywhere, and cries if she can't see her.

The Rescue Ranch Society is home to 19 rescued animals, including three big horses, two mini horses, three ducks, three goats, two llamas, a donkey, three dogs and two cats.

"We started rescuing a couple animals, and then I thought, I should just do this," Laturnus said.  "I love animals and I love rescuing them."

Her father was a Conservation Officer, so she grew up raising and rehabilitating all kinds of animals.

The first horse she rescued has been living on the farm for about ten years. As the ranch's reputation grew, Laturnus received more calls to rescue and rehab animals.

Most of the animals are local, with the exception of a llama from Langley, a dog from Mexico and another dog from Hawaii.

"All of the animals we’ve rescued so far are very, very old," she said. "They’re coming here, and they’ll pass away here. But they’re having a lovely end of their life."

Because the animals are older, many have expensive vet bills or require medication. The Rescue Ranch Society is a nonprofit, so money is pretty tight.

"I would like to rescue more, and I have the facilities," she said. "But it’s the feed, things like that, the vet bills."

Laturnus hopes that she will be able to register as a charity, and is in the lengthy process of applying.

She said she is always looking for volunteers to help out putting up buildings and helping out with chores.

The Rescue Ranch Society is open to the public, and anyone who wants to come visit can arrange a time by messaging their Facebook page.

To donate to the ranch, go to their website here.


To contact a reporter for this story, email Brie Welton or call (250) 819-3723 or email the editor. You can also submit photos, videos or news tips to the newsroom and be entered to win a monthly prize draw.

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Brie Welton

Brie is a recent graduate from UBC Okanagan where she studied English and French while managing the campus newspaper. After working as an intern reporter for the summer of 2019 in her home-town of Kelowna, she rejoined the InfoNews team in March 2020 and moved to Kamloops.
Her interests range from food features and artist profiles to politics, crime and minority issues. She has a passion for story-telling and aspires to one day become a full-time court reporter.

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