Beth Petrowske thought her husband was joking when he looked outside on Sunday morning last fall and said, “There’s a sheep in our backyard.” The two had been watching a televised sermon at the time. One of the pastor’s favorite subjects was sheep.
“He was talking about shepherding and how the shepherd goes after the one sheep,” she said. “So, it was just really weird.”
If Petrowske had imagined a sheep showing up on London Road, already quite the stretch of the imagination, it would not have looked like this. This sheep was not fluffy or white or docile. He had curved horns, a lean frame, and wool that looked more like tangled moss than a storybook cloud.
“He looked like a goat,” she said. “But he had a tail and he had wool…I didn’t know what he was. I just knew he was different.”
Springing into action, Petrowske grabbed some corn and went out to attempt to lure him into the garage to contain him while she tried to find where he belonged. When she could not lure him in, she called the police. Their response was just as surprising as the morning had been.
“Oh we know all about Brad,” she was told by the officer.
By then many people already knew about Brad, whose adventure had spawned social media posts and news coverage all around the North Shore, including an overly sheep related pun-filled story by one of your favorite contributors to the Northshore Journal.
Also seemingly one of the last to know about Brad was his former owner, Ryan Osvold, a farmer in Carlton, Minnesota who had sold Brad to a farmer in Two Harbors. The sheep, dubbed Brad by one of his eventual rescuers, had other plans and escaped upon arrival.
“I didn’t even know he was on the loose for the first two weeks,” Osvold recounted. “We were actually up to the North Shore for a little getaway weekend and all of a sudden my wife’s friend said, ‘maybe Ryan can go help rescue this sheep’.”
The next day, Brad’s new owner called Osvold and confirmed that Brad was one of the sheep that Osvold had sold to the farm up North.
“He actually for the most part, for the first good week or until Brad started rearing his head, thought Brad was a goner the first night he escaped,” said Osvold. “He had seen Brad on one of his trail cams and then literally about half an hour later he got another picture of a couple of coyotes going through the same area. So, he just figured Brad was toast.”
Though fed a lot of white bread along his journey, Brad was not toast.
Brad had escaped on October 29, 2024, when the trailer door opened during his transfer to Two Harbors. From there, he embarked on a three-week solo journey that spanned at least 40 miles. Sightings popped up from the airport in Two Harbors to Brighton Beach in Duluth, and even the railyard in downtown Proctor. He wandered past Glensheen Mansion, followed the shoreline, and eventually made his way to Midway Township.
Brad evaded multiple rescue attempts, often darting away at the slightest movement.
“I went and seen him that Tuesday morning that we actually did rescue him,” said Osvold. “You’re not going to get close to him. He’s not playing that game anymore. So, we decided to bring the vet in.”
On November 20, a Duluth veterinarian used two tranquilizer darts to safely subdue Brad near a home in Midway Township. Osvold wrapped him in coveralls, loaded him into his truck, and brought him back to his original farm in Carlton, where Brad now lives peacefully with his twin sister and mother.
“No use of putting him through some more strain and stress and trying to move him to another farm,” said Osvold. “I’ll keep him and we’re going to keep him at our farm until he lives out his days after his big adventure.”
Petrowske was one of many who breathed a sigh of relief when the news reported he had made it home and would remain there.
“I’m just so glad he made it,” said Petrowske. “He crossed so many roads. Highway 61 is dangerous. I was really worried about him.”
The happy ending sparked a new adventure for Petrowske. Her idea for a book began not long after Brad’s surreal appearance in her backyard. The moment stuck with her, not just because it was strange, but because it felt meaningful. As she followed Brad’s escapades, she started imagining his story as something bigger, something kids could learn from.
“I just kept thinking about him,” Petrowske said. “I talk about Brad and think about Brad all day long. He’s just part of my life now.”
The idea of turning his journey into a children’s book came naturally. She wanted to capture the wonder of that morning, the tension of his escape, and the quiet strength he showed along the way.
“I wanted the book to have substance because I wanted things to be memorable,” she said. “I wanted kids to feel something. I wanted them to learn something about determination.”
To bring Brad’s story to life, Petrowske began photographing Brad and his twin sister at Golden Hour Acres, Osvold’s farm. A former graphic designer, she leaned into her visual instincts and began layering textures, playing with light, and crafting backdrops that echoed the surreal nature of Brad’s journey.
“I wanted it to be dreamlike, but also real,” she said. “I wanted it to be something that stuck with people. I didn’t want to use cartoons. I wanted real images that kids could connect with.”
The farm’s rolling pastures and quiet corners gave her the perfect canvas to reimagine Brad’s adventure, blending real landscapes with imaginative storytelling.
“It’s just beautiful out there. It’s peaceful and the sheep are so calm. It was the perfect place to imagine Brad’s story,” said Petrowske. “Ryan’s farm gave me everything I needed visually. The light, the textures, the feeling, it all worked.”
Spending time with Icelandic sheep helped Petrowske shape Brad’s personality.
“I’d never been around Icelandic sheep before,” she said. “They’re so different, more wild looking, more expressive. That helped me shape Brad’s personality in the book.”
Icelandic sheep are not domesticated like other breeds. Osvold explained that in Iceland, the sheep are left to graze freely all summer, roaming hillsides without fences or herding. That independence helped Petrowske imagine Brad not just as a lost animal, but as a determined wanderer who was curious, resourceful, and a little aloof.
As for Brad’s journey, Petrowske based some of the book on places confirmed by sightings and, since there were large stretches of unreported time, inserted some imagined places he may have visited along the way.
“I didn’t want it to just be fields and barns. Brad was seen in neighborhoods, by the lake, near roads, and I wanted to show that. I imagined him going through gardens, past playgrounds, even stopping to look at the lake. I wanted each page to feel like a little adventure. Not just where he went, but how he felt. Was he scared? Was he curious? Was he proud?” she said.
Petrowske self-published Brad: The Determined Sheep and His Lake Superior Adventure, and the book is now available online and across Duluth, featuring a forward by the Duluth mayor. The book is adorable, imaginative, and inspiring, just like Brad.
“People have been really kind. They say it’s sweet and different. I’ve had parents tell me their kids ask to read it over and over. That’s the best kind of feedback,” said Petrowske. “I didn’t expect people to connect so deeply. I just wanted to tell Brad’s story.”
As for Osvold, he hopes Brad’s story inspires kids to think about farming. Adults, too.
“I’ve been farming for about 20 years now. Started small, just a few animals, and it grew from there,” he said. “I didn’t grow up farming, but I always wanted to. Once I got started, I never looked back.”
Osvold emphasized the importance of farming.
“Whether it’s vegetables or flowers or crops or animals, it’s a real needed thing in our world,” he said. “There’s new and exciting ways that people are doing it that are actually really going to start helping the planet out a lot more than maybe some of the ways we’ve been doing it in the past because we’re learning things.”
In a story full of happy endings, there are even more. Brad is a dad to five lambs.
“We’ve got one that looks just like him,” said Osvold. “Same horns, same attitude. He’s mellow. He’s standoffish. Some of his lambs are friendlier.”
The sheep at Golden Hour Acres are sheared once a year and the wool is used to make socks, hats, and mittens. Icelandic wool has a dual coat. There is a fine underlayer and a courser outer layer, which makes it great for felting and spinning.
You can see pictures of Brad and follow Osvold’s farm on Instagram @golden_hour_acres.
Readers can find Brad: The Determined Sheep And His Lake Superior Adventure on Amazon and Barnes & Noble by searching the title, or through Petrowske’s Etsy shop, SuperiorTreasuresMN.
Locally, copies are stocked at Grandma’s Restaurant, Minnsconsin Gallery & Gifts, St. Mary’s Medical Center Gift Shop, Glensheen Museum, Mount Royal Grocery Store, the Lake Superior Marine Museum, The Bookstore at Fitger’s, and J. Skylark Toy Store. Petrowske will also be signing books at The Bookstore at Fitger’s on October 11 from noon to 2 p.m.
Petrowske and Ryan, and many others, remain curious about where Brad visited in unreported stretches. In fact, if you saw Brad on his adventure, Petrowske would love to hear you. Email bradthesheepmn@gmail.com to let her know your Brad story. Perhaps Brad 2 could eventually show up in a bookstore near ewe! (Ope! Sorry, I just couldn’t help it, but I did make it all the way to the end!)
