Sheep take over family's backyard

LINCOLN, Calif. — A family in California wanted to get a closer look at the sheep grazing behind their home before fire season, so the father opened his backyard gate. But he got a little more than he bargained for when the sheep began to flock into his yard. The hilarious encounter was all caught on camera.

The city of Lincoln employs thousands of sheep and goats to cut down the vegetation before fire season. They are contained by temporary electric fencing and the fences already in place that separate homes from grassland.

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Lincoln resident Scott Russo wanted his young daughters to get a better look at the hundreds of sheep grazing behind their home, so he opened his backyard gate. The sheep took that as an invitation.

"Oh, this is a huge mistake!" Russo can be heard saying on the video. His wife is even less enthused, telling him "OK, Scare them out, Scott. Scott, scare them out... Now. I'm serious. I'm telling you right now. I'm being serious. Scare them out. Girls, stay by the house." Russo's daughters can also be heard squealing and demanding the sheep to leave.

Despite the commotion, the uninvited guests still weren't getting the message, so Russo switches tactics. "Get off my lawn! Get off my lawn!" he yells, laughing.

Still blissfully unaware and now chomping on the family's lawn, Russo decided to lead them back through the gate. Dutifully, the sheep begin to follow him. "C'mon, c'mon. C'mon everybody. Good sheep. Good sheep," said Russo.

But what really did the trick was when Russo's wife suddenly appeared again, jumping on the trampoline with a tambourine. The sheep left in a hurry after that.

CNN/KTXL