Britain’s youngest shepherd, 2-year-old Arthur, defies doctor’s expectations with a little help from his friends

Little Arthur Jones is Britain's youngest shepherd - at just two and a half years old.

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by Jessica Anais Rach |
Published on

He's not even old enough to go to school but Arthur already looks after his own flock of sheep which he herds himself on a mini quad bike.

The inspirational toddler has formed a special bond with Twinkle, a lamb which like himself was born prematurely.

He helped nurse Twinkle back to health, and the pair now are so inseparable that Twinkle comes running when she hears Arthur's voice.

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Arthur suffers from cerebral palsy but has not let the condition come between him and his animals, which he tends to daily at his grandmother's farm.

Nicky, 55, said: "Arthur absolutely adores the sheep.

"Once he mastered the art of walking in September he was able to come out with me into the field and help gather the sheep into their pens or lambing shed.

Due to his condition, Arthur wasn't expected to walk until he was 4

"I gave him his own crook and he just copied me and waved it around to get them into their pens.

"He now uses a quad bike to round them up and as soon as the sheep hear that start up they respond to him.

"He has learnt to shout things like "come on girls" at them and drives them a good couple of hundred metres from the field to their pens.

"I think being a shepherd is in his blood, he is a natural at it. Arthur will be the fifth generation of shepherd in our family".

Arthur got his first taste of farm life at six-months-old when his mother, Sarah, went back to her job as the village postman, leaving him with his grandmother at her farm.

Mrs Jones said: "He has his favourite sheep which is Twinkle who was born prematurely just like he was. Twinkle had to fight to stay alive and Arthur bottle fed her.

Arthur with Twinkle as a lamb

"The two of them are inseparable - they have grown up together and they have such a rapport.

"We were told that Arthur wouldn't be walking until the age of four because of his condition but because of his bond with the other sheep he is up and about already".

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