Esther Smith, Donna Verbeek, and John Lewall enjoy a visit with Nugget, a black lamb visiting the Penticton Seniors' Centre on Monday and Tuesdays.

Image Credit: SUBMITTED

PENTICTON - The Penticton Seniors’ Drop In Centre has a new celebrity guest in their midst.

Nugget is a one month old black lamb that is bringing a lot of joy and comfort to Drop in Centre guests and employees alike.

Kitchen worker December Foster says she has been raising Nugget since she was two days old, born a little more than a month ago on a Grand Forks sheep farm.

“She was one of twins, and her mother didn’t accept her,” Foster explains, saying she welcomed the animal and has been bottle feeding her ever since.

Foster says her manager has been willing to provide babysitting services for the lamb while Foster is on shift. When guests began noticing the black lamb at the office door, she became an instant celebrity.

“She’s been coming to the centre for about a month. There’s always quite a crowd out front of the office. Everyone wants to catch a glimpse of her, or give her a hug,” Foster says, adding the animal has become quite the therapy pet, and seems to get as much out of her visitors as they get out of her.

Foster says she’s amazed by the number of stories people have as they relate tales of having similar pets while growing up on a farm.

At home, Nugget is well behaved, sleeping in a bed or lying on the couch to watch television. She wears a diaper and eats from a bottle, making her the “easiest pet ever,” according to Foster.

“She’s easier than a dog to look after she just follows me around most of the time,” she says.

Nugget will eventually grow to 150 pounds, which may result in modifications to her lifestyle.

“Eventually she will have to go outside to graze during the day. That will be a sad day for me,” Foster says, adding Nugget lives on an acreage.

“I think, even when she’s 150 pounds, she’ll still be an indoor and outdoor pet,” Foster says.

In the meantime, Foster hopes to continue Nugget’s visits to the seniors’ centre on Monday and Tuesdays.

Nugget the black lamb is an easy pet to look after says owner December Foster.

Image Credit: SUBMITTED

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