Taranaki man Brendon Smale is looking for a new place to call home — along with all of his lambs.
Smale used to be a creative director in Tokyo, but a visit home to New Zealand ended in an unexpected turn.
"I went for a walk one morning to see the mountain, and on the way back, I saw a strange white blob that looked unnatural," he told The Dodo. "I went to investigate, as I got closer I though 'OMG it's a lamb', it was very odd. So I went running up.
"As I got closer, right there in that grass was Beans.
"He jumped up and was ecstatic to be found, and from that moment he stuck with me wherever I went."
Smale devoted himself to creating a safe haven for Beans and other lambs rejected by their mothers or knocking on death's door.
His Saint Beans website helps fund food and vet bills through donations and merchandise sales.
But the land Smale's been borrowing is now up for sale, and the flock needs a new place to call home.
"These little animals just kind of got into my heart, and they just fill it up," he told Seven Sharp.
"Everything I've lost, I feel like I've gained."
Smale said: "Beans just kind of came along and he just happened."
The story was similar for the other 11: "A series of accidents, really.
"Each year I seem to get a couple more, and suddenly I've got 12.
"Ideally, it would be great to have about 10 acres so I can start rescuing more — because that's really my goal, is to rescue a lot more.
"This is just very much the beginning."
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