Phyllis the sheep. Found!

Phyllis, a three year old Icelandic sheep, who escaped from her owner on Sunday, April 25, has returned home to owner John Bauby and her fellow sheep.  

Phyllis has been hiding out and foraging in the Aspetuck Land Trust’s 750 acre Trout Brook Valley nature preserve in Easton and Weston.  After numerous sightings and attempts to catch the sheep, she wandered home today to the great surprise and relief of her owner, John Bauby.

According to David Brant, the Aspetuck Land Trust’s Executive Director, “Trout Brook Valley is one of the most expansive tracts of land in Fairfield County.  It is no wonder that Phyllis decided to call it home for a few weeks.  It is a wilderness in our own back yard. I think she enjoyed herself”   

Icelandic sheep are a rare breed – there are only 3,000 of them in the US.  They have a “wilder” sensibility than domesticated sheep, are very good foragers and adept at navigating the terrain in places like Trout Brook Valley. 

Said  owner Bauby, “I think Phyllis was tired of being pursued by the general public. She wanted to come home and get sheared. Her haircut is long overdue and she was getting hot. I thank the community for their outpouring of help. The response has been incredible.”