Friends rally to rebuild sheep shelter

DOVER — Serena Carlson still remembers when Gail Curless drove almost 80 miles from Dover to the Spokane Fairgrounds to help her in a competitive riding event.

It’s the kind of gesture for which the entire family is known, she said. As a result, she wasn’t going to sit by idly when they needed her help — even if it meant driving from the outskirts of Spokane.

“Randy and Gail are just the nicest people and would give you the shirt off their back, and I try to live my life by giving back to the people who have given a lot to me,” she said.   

It appears a lot of people feel similarly to Carlson, because the Curlesses have barely had a moment to themselves since a fire burned their barn to the ground last week, taking about 20 ewes and lambs along with it. Hundreds have mobilized to help the family out as they race against time to build a new shelter that will house the remaining herd as well as the lambs still on the way.

“That’s one of the reasons this (shelter) is so important — we’re trying to beat the weather on this,” said daughter Erica Curless.

The crisis first began in the early morning of Jan. 23, when the family’s barn went up in flames. Firefighters received the call too late to save the building, which was a total loss. Along with the barn went several ewes and the first newborns of the lambing season. The fire also came within days of Randy Curless’ retirement as longtime Dover mayor, adding an additional layer of strangeness and change to the experience.

According to the Curlesses, the fire occurred just as the lambing season was beginning. For the most part, ranchers want lambs to be born while disease-bearing insects are still dormant, which gives the newborns time to grow and become strong. That is a much trickier prospect without a shelter, the family said.

Therefore, the first priority was to get a shelter raised. The smaller structure will provide newborn lambs with a windbreak that, when combined with some heat sources, will keep the lambs  warm during their early months. Raising that shelter has been the focus of early efforts this week. A larger-scale hay barn will likely follow in the spring or summer, the family said.

Thanks to the outpouring of support, this process has gone much more quickly than anticipated. In fact, the Curlesses believe they could have the lambing shelter completed within another week or so.

“We’ve had literally hundreds of people call in and ask how they can help,” Randy Curless said.

“It’s been very humbling — all the help we’ve been given,” he later added.

That assistance included everything from donations of lumber, sheet metal and money to freely-given labor and tools. Charlie Carter of Carter Country Farm and Feed supplied cow and hog panels for the sheep, while the fairgrounds had some old goat cages available for use. Steve Graue and his employees at Turfcare Landscaping offered time and equipment that vastly accelerated shelter construction. Alan and Jennifer Job, meanwhile, provided two tons of hay to replace the stock lost in the fire, along with some metal sheeting and a monetary donation. Those are just a few of the people to lend a helping hand, Erica Curless said, and more are waiting in the wings once the more basic construction work begins.

While the family has difficulty expressing just how much the help means to them, volunteers aren’t particularly impressed with themselves. To them, this is what living in a small town is all about.

“I think that’s what a community’s supposed to do,” said Jennifer Jobs. “I don’t think we need a big government — just big-hearted people. And if I can set a good example for my kids, hopefully they’ll pay it forward down the road.”