Scott Russo doesn’t own any sheep — but one evening this week, he became an unwitting shepherd to a flock of hundreds.
Russo lives in Lincoln, California, where the city has a program employing groups of sheep to nibble through overgrowth on public land. On this particular evening, the wooly workers were doing their thing in an open space behind Russo’s house — but he made a huge mistake.
He left a gate in his backyard fence open so his young daughters could see the sheep in action.
“I really didn’t think one sheep would stick its head in,” Russo told The Dodo. “When three and four came in it was neat. [Then] I blinked and the yard was full!”
Here’s video of what happened next, and the humorous spirit with which Russo tackled the problem:
As you can see, Russo had his hands full — once one sheep entered his yard, many more followed suit (as is their nature). But, with the help of his wife banging on a tambourine from afar, they were able to safely return the flock from whence they came.
“Nobody got hurt, only a smashed corn hole board,” Russo said, adding that the whole ordeal was a learning experience. “I won’t leave the gate open again.”