<body><div><figure><img src="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?type=thumbnail_580x000&amp;url=06Ev7Z_0l2yQnAE00" alt="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=06Ev7Z_0l2yQnAE00" width="750" height="500" ></figure>Some lucky sheep in New Jersey are starting a new life after escaping a slaughterhouse. Seven sheep — some with tags on their ears and a red spot on their wool coats, marks used to signify when animals are for slaughter — <a href="https://abc7ny.com/escaped-sheep-wayward-slaughterhouse-escape-paterson/12888170/">escaped from a slaughterhouse into Paterson</a>, New Jersey, on Monday, according to WABC-TV. Residents spotted six of the wooly animals roaming around River Street near a Dunkin' Donuts and a Sealy Mattress store and called animal control to pick them up. According to the news station, one sheep even made a break for it, running a few miles north to Hawthorne, New Jersey, before it was captured in nearby Fair Lawn. "The Paterson Police Department did a phenomenal job. We took two of the sheep, and ended up putting them in the back of a police car. We escorted them up here with their lights and [sirens] on," John DeCando with Paterson Animal Control told WABC-TV.Paterson Animal Control decided that the brave sheep would not return to the slaughterhouse and instead contacted <a href="https://skylandssanctuary.org/">Skylands Animal Sanctuary and Rescue</a> in Sussex County for assistance. The facility agreed to take the fluffy animals in and care for them for the rest of their lives, per the news station. "It's a great feeling knowing that [the sheep are] not going to be on someone's plate," DeCando said. Paterson Animal Control did not immediately respond to PEOPLE's request for additional details about the rescue. Mike, a Skylands Animal Sanctuary and Rescue employee, told the station that the sheep likely hadn't had the best life. "These guys, I hate to say, at no time have they gotten on a trail or has their life gotten better," he said. Never miss a story — sign up for <a href="https://forms.dotdashmeredith.com/people-news-inline">PEOPLE's free daily newsletter</a> to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.However, the animals now have something to look forward to — a barn of their own on a 600-acre sanctuary. </div></body>

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Over Half a Dozen Sheep Escape Slaughterhouse in New Jersey and Find Their Way to Animal Rescue

Some lucky sheep in New Jersey are starting a new life after escaping a slaughterhouse. Seven sheep — some with tags on their ears and a red spot on their wool coats, marks used to signify when animals are for slaughter — escaped from a slaughterhouse into Paterson, New Jersey, on Monday, according to WABC-TV.