CINCINNATI, Ohio – Sweet Pea and Snappy look great and are considerably cooler since they got their “haircuts.” They are back to entertaining and educating visitors at the Cincinnati Zoo and Botanical Gardens, thanks to Regina Utz’s sheep shearing expertise.

Those two critters are Olde English “Babydoll” Southdown sheep, said Meredith Hughes, curator at the zoo. They walk with their keepers. Visitors have a chance to meet them and learn about wool and sheep care.

Lacking in-house sheep shearers, Hughes noticed the duo getting a bit scraggly. She is a University of Kentucky (UK) College of Agriculture graduate and familiar with their team’s sheep shearing expertise.

She reached out to the UK Cooperative Extension Service in Boone County for help. Utz’s former 4-H agent, Christy Eastwood, contacted her. Utz, agriculture and natural resources agent in the Trimble County Extension Office and an old hand at sheep shearing, oiled her shears and went to meet Sweet Pea and Snappy.

“I was in 4-H for 10 years and very involved in the extension programs there. I used to show sheep in my livestock club,” Utz said. “I sheared the sheep for my family. I’ve been doing it for years.”

She enlisted the help of her sister, Renora Utz, and Cincinnati Children’s Zoo animal care team member Remy Romaine.

With their assistance, she had a ton of fun shearing the two babydolls, and the people at the zoo were amazing, Utz said. She was happy to be able to educate them. She was also glad to help the sheep as it was getting hot and they had a lot of wool.

“We try to shear sheep at least twice a year in spring and mid-summer,” Utz said. “But these hadn’t been sheared in a year; they were pretty heavy with wool.

“I got there around 10 a.m. and finished about 1 p.m. Sweet Pea was kind of spunky,” she explained. “She definitely wasn’t willing to let us wash her. We had to brush her a lot and then spray the water on her. Snappy was super sweet; he got in the stand and was an angel. We clipped him up, no problem.”

Hughes, said, “Our team was excited to reach out to Regina – she is a rockstar! This collaborative partnership was great for our sheep and offered a learning opportunity to our animal team here at the Cincinnati Zoo and Botanical Garden.”

Olde English Babydoll Southdowns, the teddy bears of the sheep world, are outstanding pets that produce wool that is a hand spinner’s delight, according to the registry website. They provide organic weeding, make excellent companion animals, and are a sound investment opportunity.

Their gentle nature makes them a joy to own, and their diminutive size makes them an excellent choice for 4-H projects.