A three-year-old girl has stolen the hearts of many after a video of her expertly handling her large sheep went viral.
The video of Barley Brook Sellar, dressed in a smart checked shirt, white coat and boots, has been viewed 1.5 million times since it was posted at lunchtime on Thursday.
Filmed by her mother, Caitlin Jenkins, the little girl introduces herself and her sheep, Ethel, who she is holding on a rope.
Ethel barges Barley who pushes her back with her hips, as sheep handlers should.
When asked what kind of sheep Ethel is, Barley takes a good look at her before saying: “White.”
After a pause, she confirms Ethel is a Border Leicester.
Barley then leads her sheep on a walk down the field at her family’s farm in Norfolk, before bringing her back towards the camera.
When her mother asks her to bring Ethel to a stand, Barley expertly says “stand”, to which Ethel obediently does.
The video was filmed as part of a sheep handling class for children under eight years old.
Fell farmer and author James Rebanks tweeted out the video on Thursday, saying he had spent the last hour judging the online sheep show.
“And I have to tell you that the young handlers under eight class was the cutest thing I have ever seen,” he tweeted.
“I’ve never seen anyone command a sheep with ‘STAND’. The sheep’s face is priceless.”
Barley Brook Sellar with her sheep Ethel
More than 73,000 people have liked the video and dozens have commented on how adorable the pair are.
Children’s book illustrator Jameela Wahlgren even drew a picture of them, with permission from Barley’s mother, who said she has wanted to write a book about Barley and her sheep for a while.
Many of the comments about the video focused on how gutsy little Barley is.
One said: “Ethel is a bit of a bully but no match for her tiny tot trainer.”
