[Jacob-list] ram adventures.

[dave & katrina]

Any good ideas for what you would do if you looked back and realized the untamed and spunky yearling ram you were delivering had somehow managed to escape out the back of your vehicle into 4 lane traffic?  Unbelivable!

This past saturday, I had a great trip planned up to NY state to trade our yearling St Jude's ram for Fibre Fold's Swallow Lane ram.  I was planning to make the trip alone using our small pick-up with a cap, something we have used several times before without trouble.  One of the best ways to transport sheep, I still believe.  Unfortunately, Napoleon was travelling alone, but was fairly content, just curious about the whole event and set on figuring out exactly what was happening.  I could see him checking everything out, especially the back panel that protected the window.  We were about 45 min from home, when somehow he managed to move the wood panel which was only tied in place. The window as still locked, so I was not too worried. I was coming up on an intersection and was in the process of looking about for a place to pull over when suddenly I looked in the mirror only to see an empty bed and then a woman in the car next to me saying frantically that 'it' was on the loose! (actually, she thought it was a dog at the time.  later someone asked me if he bites. *smile*)  Have you ever had those moment when you simply can't believe something is happening?  And have no idea how to solve it?  This was the worst of that kind of moment.  I find this guy tough to catch in the field let alone on the highway! With my truck still parked at the red light, another couple and I ran after him and got him off the road...her husband ran back to move my truck and their car, while even more people joined in with the festivities.  

Well, took quite some time and many missed lunges by slightly overweight men who had never seen sheep before let alone caught one, as well as a dramatic stretch of time where the ram trotted off down on side of the road with me running after (in sandles) and long lines of traffic following after us, but we finally caught the bugger and he is now safe and sound in his new home...a bit more famous for all his adventures, but unharmed.  According to a few people who helped, I think he even added to their day, amazingly. The whole thing turned into a big rodeo...he was actually caught by a handmade lasso made out of a Penn Dot pipesling.  One man asked if he could buy a jacob some day....while his wife sat in the other seat and rolled her eyes. *grin*  The whole thing ended with a smirky police report and a posed picture with all the people who helped with Napoleon right in the middle, pipesling around his neck.

Whew.  Not something I want to repeat ever again!  


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