First of all, let’s dispel the rumors, shall we? No, a ram did not mate with a Dalmatian to produce Lambie, the remarkably dalmatian-like lamb in this story. (Come on, the thought did cross your mind, didn’t it?)
Still, the coincidence, call it biological serendipity, was awesome.
Julie Bolton of South Adelaide, Australia, breeds Dalmatians, including seven-year-old Zoe, a gorgeous champion in the dog show world. She’s also a take-charge kind of animal, her owner says. In her own litter, “she was the first one out, and she made The Spotted Lamb and the Dalmatian 61eye contact with me first—she was just a little more forward than the others.” That forwardness even translates to her breeding schedule; she comes into heat regularly before the other female dogs, as if to prove she’s number one. She also happens to be a very good mother.
Julie and her family keep other animals besides dogs on their 32-acre Australian homestead. Sheep included. One day, one of the female sheep gave birth to a tiny lamb that looked more like a spotted puppy than a sheep-to-be. The ewe took one look at the slippery runt on the ground and ran to the other side of the paddock, utterly disinterested in doing her motherly duties. (Almost certainly, the lamb’s looks had nothing to do with her being abandoned; sheep focus more on smells and sounds when it comes to recognizing their young.)
Though she wasn’t thrilled to have an orphan lamb on her hands, Julie couldn’t help but laugh at the strangeness of the situation. “A lamb like a spotted puppy born in a home full of dalmatians,” she says.