Jackson County Fire District 3 firefighters and paramedics found themselves tasked with an unusual animal rescue mission this week.

A far cry from a cat stuck in a tree, a wayward, dirty-faced sheep wandered up to the district’s fire station at Avenue G and Agate Road in White City on Monday.

Wandering within a few-block radius for most of the day, the young ram, possibly a refugee from the nearby Salt Creek Fire, was skittish and decidedly unimpressed with the heat and noisy traffic.

Paramedic Jacob Petty was getting ready for his shift when he and another Fire District 3 employee noticed the animal.

“It was first thing in the morning, Monday. I was outside talking to someone, and he said, ‘Is that a sheep?’”

“It just came walking through the middle of our campus, so we tried to corral him but — as sheep often do — he only would go the opposite direction of where we wanted him to. He eventually ran down the road so we kind of left him alone.”

District officials said wild turkeys, deer and “even a pheasant or two” are common at the White City station, but this was the district’s first ovine assist.

Before late afternoon, the wool-covered traveler was still on the lam, showing up at neighboring businesses and in surrounding fields.

“I saw him later in the day,” Petty added.

“He had a Jackson County sheriff’s officer chasing him. I figured he must have done something baaaaaad.”

Jeff Lloyd, vice president of Cascade Fire, posted to social media to say that the animal was relaxing in the shade of one of the structures at his business. Lloyd said employees made a handful of attempts to catch the sheep — unsure what they’d have done if successful — and posted on social media in hopes of returning the sheep to his flock.

While some social media reporters offered suggestions — including obvious tidbits such as providing water — rumors flew and livestock cracks were made.

One social media user surmised the sheep could be the same one who appeared two years ago in Prospect. The user quipped, “He’s baaaack.”

Another suggested the critter might be “the black sheep” of his family, seeking greener pastures.

By late Monday afternoon, Petty wanted to check on the animal and found him in a field near the fire station. He recruited District 3’s Engine 22 for help, including firefighter Derik Persons who gave an earnest attempt at wielding a makeshift lasso.

“It’s all a little fuzzy. … But we definitely figured out they make it look a lot easier in the movies,” Petty said with a laugh. Despite the failed lasso attempt, Petty and others managed to grab and halter the sheep.

“We finally got him loaded up and taken care of,” Petty said, noting that the sheep — clearly exhausted from his shenanigans — ending up lying down in a trailer after sipping from a bowl of cool water.

“This was a first for me — not my first animal rescue, but definitely my first sheep,” Petty said. Mutton-busting jokes, he noted, have been in steady supply since Monday.

“We all had a pretty good laugh about it. Probably won’t live it down for a while.”

District 3 officials said anyone with ownership info about the sheep — currently being fostered at a farm in Butte Falls — can contact the district by calling 541-826-7100.

Thursday’s social media post on the district Facebook page noted, “If you’re missing a sheep that moonlights as a neighborhood explorer, give us a BAA. Visitation rights can be negotiated.”