“Counting sheep”— pounds won prizes for  residents at the 2009 Boundary County Fair.

In  a guess-the-weight-of-the-sheep contest, Bonners Ferry taxidermist Kevin Whitmore didn’t let J.J. the sheep pull the wool over his eyes.

 Whitmore  guessed J.J.’s weight  on the mark at 308 pounds and won a prize donated from a local merchant.  The second-place guess was 309 pounds, and the hard luck prize went to a person who guessed 1,000 pounds.

Fair-goers can thank Beau Cowley for the contest.

Beau  raised  J.J. when he was  10 for his second  4-H project.

Beau became attached to J.J.  as did the rest of the family, according to his mom, Shelby Cowley.

“JJ is just like a dog and is the family pet,” she said.

Cowley said  J.J. will hang out with family members in the yard, follow them around while they are working  and even come when his name is called.

 “Beau’s grandpa Tom Roy Cowley, bought J.J. at the 2003 fair auction and gave him back to Beau,” said Andria Hedrick, 2009 Boundary County Fair Queen.

Beau, who starts his junior year at Bonners Ferry High School this year, said he was happy and surprised when he found out his grandpa bought J.J. for him.

“He runs with the other sheep and follows us around, he is mine and after I leave home I am making my mom keep him for me,” said Beau.

During the four-day fair J.J.  stood still with a seemingly sheepish grin as people glanced him over to guess his weight. 

“He really loves people and being around them,” said Beau.  “This was his first time in public away from our property and he loved the attention.”