Lamb found roaming on southern Utah golf course gets adopted at Hurricane homestead

HURRICANE, Washington County — A little lamb whose fleece was whiter than the green on the Sand Hollow Golf Course, was found grazing between holes in March. After several weeks of successfully dodging long drives home, that's just what the little lamb got.

And for the past several months, the lamb, who is now named River, has been living at her new homestead in Hurricane, making one 11-year-old girl very happy.

"I remember it was spring break, and we saw the post (on the Hurricane Animal Shelter Facebook page)," Heather Wiley said.

The post, published in the first week of March, explained the circumstances surrounding the little lost lamb. KSL reached out to the shelter at that time and was told that the lamb had been grazing on the golf course for several weeks and was eventually caught and brought to the shelter.

Officials put the word out to local farmers to see if any were missing a lamb, and after receiving no response for the required number of days, the lamb became available for adoption.

"We had a stock show for lambs, and then we went on spring break, and I saw they were still looking for an owner, Heather Wiley said. "I told Halle when we got home that we should get this lamb."

The timing of the lost lamb was perfect for her 11-year-old daughter, Halle Wiley, because she had just sold her lamb, which she had named Blue, at the recent stock show.

"Our kids get lambs in the winter to raise for the stock show," Wiley explained. "Halle is the team leader, and she trains everybody. The stock show is in April and it's for a week and they show and compete their lambs, and then their lambs get sold. It's kind of sad, but worth the hard work."

The sad drive home quickly turned to a happy drive to the shelter to pick up the new lamb that they had no intention of selling. Early on, however, River proved that she was still very much an escape artist.

"She's kind of a roamer," Heather Wiley said. "She used to try to jump out of her pen, but she loves us now. She doesn't even try to leave anymore. She just walks around, free. She's got a big field. We have a pen for her at night to keep her safe."

Halle said what she loves most about River is how playful and lovable the lamb is, and how it follows her everywhere she goes.

"I'm not really sure what breed she is, but she's just, like, a really nice lamb," Halle said. "She has a really cute face, but it's kind of weird because she sheds and stuff."

The Wileys raise Hampshire lambs for their woolly coats. But after a trip to the vet, they were told that there was no need to remove River's coat and that she was a healthy, happy lamb. Heather Wiley said that, with all their other lambs sold, they are hoping to find another lamb to keep River company.

"We're going to keep River and find her a buddy," she said. "She has two ponies and horses that she hangs with right now and ducks and chickens, so we're on the lookout for a little companion for her.

"She's not the breed that we would show, and she's been through so much," she added. "They tried to find her herd, and nobody claimed her. It was so sad. We wouldn't get rid of her. She's just part of the homestead now."

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