So when their knobbly-kneed 3-year-old was stolen from a paddock in Little River, they were absolutely devastated.
But through a tip-off, a $1000 reward for his return and a bit of courage against police advice, Bo is safe and sound again, back where he belongs with the couple who live in Springston.
Bo was taken mid-afternoon 13 days ago where Calder-Ritchie had put their animals in preparation for a shift to the property later this month.
Witnesses reported seeing three men in a red sedan, wrangling Bo.
Calder-Ritchie said it was believed Bo was lifted over a padlocked gate and put in the car’s boot.
She had feared the worst when he was stolen: He had been taken for meat.
Calder-Ritchie posted a Bay Harbour News article on the theft to the Rolleston Facebook community group last Thursday afternoon.
About 5pm, she received a reply to her post from someone who said they had information on Bo’s whereabouts.
That information led her to a Burnham property which she visited two hours later.
The property was protected by a padlocked gate.
She was nervous about approaching the gate to get the attention of who lived there, so called the police and explained the situation.
“They (police) basically said, don’t go there, and they would find someone available to look into it further,” she said.
“But I went there anyway, I was just desperate to find him.”
She waved at the security cameras on the property, trying to get the attention of its occupants, but to no avail. A woman in a car then arrived, so Calder-Ritchie explained why she was there.
The woman went inside to inquire about Bo. She came back out and said there was no sheep.
Calder-Ritchie thanked her for the help and went back home.
Calder-Ritchie assumed she saw her post on the Rolleston community page.
Calder-Ritchie then passed on her phone number to the woman. Soon after a man rang, asking if the $1000 reward was legitimate, which she confirmed.
The woman then sent a photo of who she believed to be Bo. Calder-Ritchie verified it was him and gave her their address.
Two men turned up to her home about 1am on Friday with Bo, who was on a trailer.
“I was just so stoked to see him,” Calder-Ritchie said.
“It’s amazing, I honestly thought he would be dead or beaten but the fact he’s still alive is just next level crazy.
“It’s like out of a movie.”
She came out of the house and thanked the men.
The men told her Bo was found in Hoon Hay.
She gave them $800 for their trouble and sent $200 to the person who tipped her off.
While at the house, one of the men asked her if would be possible to eat a ram like Bo.
“I said, no, you wouldn’t eat a ram, bro,” she said.
The couple has had Bo since his birth three years ago.
She said Bo is still a little bit shaken from the experience.
