A sheep that spent 45 days on the loose in Wadsworth is safe at a farm animal sanctuary — roped at last by a 14-year-old rider and her horse. Reagan Crumpler and her 18-year-old horse, Catalena, captured the American Blackbelly sheep on Wednesday after an hours-long pursuit, ending a chase that had drawn in volunteers, a sheriff’s department and even aerial drones, the Akron Beacon Journal reported, in coverage carried by the New York Post.
Crumpler had tried to catch the sheep before without success. This time, she recalled asking her horse beforehand, “Catalena, you want to go catch a sheep today?” — a moment the teen recounted to the Akron Beacon Journal. Each time the pair closed in, the sheep turned away, until Crumpler urged the horse on: “Come on, Cat. We got this. Keep going.” She told the Beacon Journal it felt as if the horse understood, kicked into high gear, and got them in front of the animal so she could finally rope it.
While the sheep was loose, Whispering Acres Farm Animal Sanctuary owner Janine Smalley and volunteer Rebecca Roxberry ran a Facebook campaign to bring it in safely, and residents across Wadsworth reported sightings and helped however they could. “The people of Wadsworth, they were so helpful,” Roxberry told News 5 Cleveland. Roxberry said she simply did not want to see the animal hurt: “I just didn’t want to see her get hurt,” she said in comments reported by the New York Post. “I love animals, all animals, and I was like, ‘Oh, we gotta do something.’”…