When newborn lamb Soda Pop first arrived at Edgar’s Mission Animal Sanctuary, she was so weak she couldn’t even stand-up. But despite that, she still had an amazing will to live, and so the workers at Edgar’s Mission were determined to help her do just that.
Edgar’s Mission’s founder, Pam Ahern, took a special interest in Soda Pop, and she started working with her, helping her gain her footing.
After a few days at the sanctuary, Soda Pop was able to support her weight a little bit, but she was still unable to walk. Ahern tried splinting her legs, but the splints made Soda Pop get panicked and stressed. Ahern needed to come up with a creative way to help Soda Pop that wouldn’t make her nervous.
And that’s when she came up with a brilliant solution: a harness made out of a reusable shopping bag.
Ahern cut holes for Soda Pop’s legs and head. Then, she held the bag’s handles while Soda Pop walked, helping to support her. She found that Soda Pop liked this system—she was happy to have someone supporting her as she slowly moved around the sanctuary.
After just two days using the shopping bag harness, Soda Pop was already having a much easier time walking. She moved faster, and she relied less on Ahern and more on her own four legs.
Ahern also used the bag to help Soda Pop practice standing. She attached the bag to the wall and let Soda Pop stand for a while. The little lamb was always calm and happy in her harness.
Soon, Soda Pop was almost running through the sanctuary. She was so excited to explore!
After all that running, Soda Pop was parched, so Ahern gave her a nice bottle of milk.
About a week after arriving at the sanctuary, Soda Pop was doing amazing. She was still in the shopping bag harness, but she only needed a little bit of support from Ahern. She was able to mostly walk on her own!
Once Ahern saw that Soda Pop was able to hold her own weight, she decided it was time to try walking without the harness.
Ahern and one of the sanctuary workers carefully took Soda Pop out of the bag. The worker held onto her, making sure she was safe and secure. Then, once Soda Pop was ready, they let go. The lamb immediately walked over to Ahern. Ahern was overjoyed to see Soda Pop walk on her own!
After that, Ahern and Soda Pop practiced walking for a while, until Soda Pop was able to walk longer distances on her own. Soon, the lamb was walking like a pro!
When Soda Pop first arrived at Edgar’s Mission, she could barely lift her head. But this lamb was full of strength and determination, and she never stopped believing she would be able to walk. If you want to learn more about Soda Pop, check out the video below.
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