The game’s afoot! Hoof print found in hunt for ‘eloped’ lamb and sheepdog
VOLUNTEERS hunting for an orphaned lamb and a sheepdog who became best friends were given hope last night.
The unlikely pair vanished from the garden of their home near Sherwood Forest in Nottinghamshire on Monday.
Yesterday a fresh hoof print was spotted close to where they were last seen and several scent trails, including one leading to a lake, were also found,
Experts said it indicted that Blake the border collie and Bella the lamb had found water to keep themselves hydrated in the warm sunshine.
The pair have been inseparable since owner Natalie Haywood, 22, adopted fiveweek- old Bella, who was rejected by her mother. Their disappearance made national headlines and dozens of people have joined the hunt for them, including two ‘pet detectives’ using sniffer dogs.
Details of the missing pets have been shared thousands of times on social media. The discovery of a lamb’s hoofprint a mile from Miss Haywood’s home raised hopes both Bella and one-year-old Blake are alive and sheltering among the trees.
‘The hope is they are still together and keeping each other safe,’ she said. She has been ‘overwhelmed’ by the public response.
‘I didn’t realise so many people had been coming out searching. My phone hasn’t stopped. We’ve no idea how Blake and Bella got out but the postman found them wandering and tried to round them up. But they ended up going into a nearby forest.’