'It Was A Baa-d Situation' | Bristol Police Herd 4 Lost Sheep

BRISTOL, RI — A day in the life of an animal control officer is rarely mundane, but this week Bristol had a first: rescuing four sheep found wandering along a busy road.

"When I got that call, I thought 'this has to be a prank,'" said Jen Roia, of the Bristol Animal Control. "But we checked it out and there it was: four sheep wandering along Lower Ferry Road."

Roia and her supervisor, Debbie DaSilva, started following the sheep, Roaia on foot and DaSilva in her truck. The goal was to catch the lead sheep and leash it, so the remaining three would follow.

But the sheep were evasive, leading the pair on a chase through the Roger Williams University campus, the woods nearby and into a field with polo horses off Metacom Avenue.

"The horses kind of herded them for us," she said with a laugh.

Thanks to the unexpected help from the horses, Roia was able to leash the lead sheep, which led to the second hurdle: what to do with them. With no trailer on hand to transport them and no idea where they came from, Roia and DaSilva weren't sure what to do next.

"We couldn't just take them to the shelter," she said.

Luckily, the sheep's owner, noticing his missing livestock, called the police department for help. The owner was reunited with the sheep, then, with a police escort, walked them the mile-and-a-half home.

Although the department has gotten calls for lost livestock — including a llama — in the past, it's usually near a farm, never on a busy road, Roia said.

"I've been here 21 years ... this was definitely a first," she said.

Since Tuesday, friends and coworkers have made "every joke in the book, from "Little Bo Peep" to beyond.

"It was a baa-d situation!" she laughed.