Dr Dolittle—The Lamb Who Teaches Us to Listen

Dr Dolittle sadly passed away on 4 January 2026. We wish to celebrate his life by sharing the story and legacy he leaves behind.

A teeny-tiny Perendale lamb whose wool seems spun from clouds of courage and cuteness. His first carer gave him the most precious gift of all—a chance. They nurtured him with a bottle in hand and warmth in their hearts, holding space for him while his life hung in the balance.

And kindness, we know, is a relay and not a race. And so, when his carer realised that his special needs required more than they could give, they did what true compassion sometimes requires us to do—they let go.

Dr Dolittle then entered our world, so sanctuary could continue what love had begun.

With the baton of kindness now firmly in our grasp, our hearts, ears and eyes are trained on the young Dr Dolittle—how could they not be? And as we listened with all three, we were reminded that animals are speaking, in a kaleidoscope of audible and inaudible ways. The problem is that many of our kind have forgotten how to listen.

At just over 10 weeks old, he tottered about with the confidence of a lamb who knew he is safe. His tight, silken curls made him look part Shirley Temple, part animated toy and 100% adorable!

But perhaps what made him most special was not his face or his features, but his inimitable effect.

For Dr Dolittle had become the gentlest medicine for Mary Poppins, the young sheep still mending from a broken leg and a broken trust. Where Mary hesitated, Dolittle stepped forward, and where she trembled and turned away, he nudged closer.

Side by woolly side, they reminded us that healing doesn’t always come from a bottle. Sometimes it comes from presence, patience and connection.

And perhaps this was the little guy’s greatest lesson of all.

Animals are always speaking, through their posture and their pause and through the quiet language of vulnerability and hope. They are not silent; they never have been. We have simply forgotten how to listen.

To listen with our hearts.

For the most powerful conversations in this world are often the ones that are never spoken aloud. And in learning to hear their voices, we might just rediscover our own.