Graham Fire & Rescue's new lawn mower has a distinct feature: horns.
Pat, a female sheep (ewe) with horns, has moved to Station 96 at 12827 224th St. E. She shares about two acres of land with her new fire goat roommates, Drip and Torch. Their mission is to take care of the fire station's yard.
Captain Andrew Kolibas and his team first discovered Pat on an early August morning. They thought their goats had escaped, but found out it was a stray sheep that made its way to the fire station.
"We did a couple of laps around the station, and it was way too quick to be caught," Kolibas said about Pat, who didn't have a name at the time.
Pat eventually wandered away from the station, and the crew thought they'd never see her again. A couple days later, an off-duty Graham fire captain who lived nearby called Kolibas to tell him about a sheep caught in a neighbor's dog kennel.
It was Pat.
Kolibas brought a horse trailer to transport Pat and keep her at the station as they looked for her owners. The fire department posted about the lost sheep on social media.
As of Oct. 4, no one has claimed Pat. Kolibas said the fire department is still waiting for the owner to come forward. Until then, she will remain at the station.
"We're kind of guessing maybe it came from some sort of an auction because it has an ear tag that has numbers that don't mean anything to me," Kolibas said. "On its back, it had what appeared to be like an auction tag."
They named Pat after Pat Dale, a Graham fire chief who retired in January. At the time they named her, Kolibas and his team didn't know if she was a male or female sheep. He said since Pat is a unisex name, they stuck with it.
Pat's goat roommates have been at the station since 2012, around the time it was built. Kolibas joked about getting goats to tend the grass and blackberries, and the captain at the time approved.
"She really, really loves our goats, specifically Drip," Kolibas said about Pat. "She just follows her around on her hip."
The station has had other animal visitors, too. Some lost dogs wandered to the station this past summer, spokesperson Brianna Baker said. The fire department helped reconnect them with their owners.
Baker said they want to make it clear that the station is not the place to drop off lost animals.
"We're always happy to help, but our stations are not the best place to have lost animals," Baker said.
