BEING USED

Sheep Therapy

Noticeable is that sheep are becoming seen as having a capacity to be therapeutic for humans. And sheep are now sometimes being overtly used to render therapy to humans. Or else there can be implication of this.

In a newspaper article in March, a woman working as an equine therapist, Grace Olson, described how, after acquiring a lamb, named Merlin, she, ‘realised that sheep are some of the most relaxed mammals, which makes them the perfect therapists because being near them calms people down too’. She went on, ‘I never force him [Merlin] to interact with clients; he comes to them naturally when he can sense that they’re suffering.’ Her concluding words in the article are, ‘I now have six sheep on my land who help me with my work, but Merlin is the shining star of the flock’. (‘The pet I’ll never forget: Merlin the therapy sheep’, The Guardian, 30th March 2026). The next day, Grace with her therapy sheep flock and some group therapy session clients were on the Channel 5 TV programme The Yorkshire Vet (Season 22, Episode 6).

Allonsfield House, a ‘nursing, residential and dementia care’ home says it is ‘the only care home in the UK with a rare breeds therapy farm’. This farm, Allonsfield Farm, has sheep among its animals. There are occasional Open Days/Fêtes. Allonsfield Farm opened on 25th June 2022.  

The Farm Manager said this:

‘Farm visits have always been popular with care home residents, but the idea of opening a farm in the grounds of a care home was something quite radical’. He continued, ’The farm plays a huge role in terms of the wellbeing and mental health of our residents …. The sensory stimulation helps improve the overall mood of people, in particular those with dementia, while easing stress …. It provides opportunities to reflect and recall old memories, particularly as some of the residents grew up farming .... Meanwhile, our livestock are all playing their role in conserving their breeds and increasing their population numbers … Now we are open, we want to get the community involved and there will be plenty of opportunities for visits by schools and local groups.’ (‘Unique therapy farm opens at Suffolk care home’, East Anglian Daily Times, 26th June 2022).

Yew Tree Farm in Cumbria was once the property of Beatrix Potter, and is now in the ownership of The National Trust. Its tenant farmers are Jon Watson and Jo McGrath. They offer - for up to eight people at a time – the Herdwick Experience, the final portion of which is a visit to the ‘Yew Tree Farm Ambassador Herdwick Flock’.

On the Yew Tree Farm website, it is said this about the ‘Yew Tree Farm Ambassador Herdwick Flock:

‘Unlike most of our 800 plus Herdwick sheep, these individuals enjoy and actively seek out people’s company, which is why they live in their own, private little field. Providing the perfect opportunity for photographers to capture these enigmatic animals for posterity – in fact it can be a problem as the sheep just want to get up close and personal and you just can’t fit them in the frame!’

And someone who experienced the Herdwick Experience is quoted as saying this about it:

‘The very best part was meeting the various groups of Herdwicks and sitting in a couple of fields of Herdies and having them come and say hello and even come for cuddles! It was just perfect, the sheep were so tame and all 4 of us loved it! Herdwicks look like they are smiling and we felt they were relaxed and smiling with us! .... Amazing therapy to sit in a beautiful location with a sheep nearly on your lap!’

Sheep are a joy to be with for humans. But is being with humans a joy for sheep? Sheep therapy for humans represents sheep being used for humans’ benefit. For, and in, the process of humans receiving therapy from sheep, is there manipulation of sheep to do what humans want, is sheep’s nature being distorted, are sheep at risk of loss of dignity? As prey animals, sheep are wary of a humans, unless or until a human has earned sheep’s trust by displaying that they care about them, and that they will care for them. Are sheep perhaps not so much coming to humans because of want to get up close with them but rather due to offer of food from humans or else hope of food from them?

Fundamentally, humans, in utilising sheep for human therapy, as well as making use of them, are being speciesist. Humans are putting their needs foremost, in this instance for sheep therapy. They are not giving value to sheep doing as they wish, but are demanding sheep to adapt to meet human requirement.

Ostensibly, from the perspective of humans at least, sheep therapy for humans is a good and beneficial idea. But to the therapy sheep what is entailed may not be what it desires or which is its nature. Humans may be choosing to see sheep as liking doing what humans are requiring them to do in role as therapists. Sheep therapy constitutes a slippery slope in terms of maintaining sheep wellbeing and contentment. In the endeavour, humans need to ensure respect for the sheep and adherence to the sheep’s nature. Perhaps Allonsfield shows an example of reasonable and fair balance between maintenance of sheep welfare and humans having therapy from sheep.

That care home and its farm are not large. This gives a circumstance where meetings between humans and sheep can be gentle, appropriate, and not too much, for all concerned. The photographs are of Allonsfield.    

23rd April 2026