Alpacas
Mr. Q.
This boy just barely escaped the fate of his sisters, oleander poisoning. He was part of a herd of 13 alpacas that moved to a new property that had oleander bushes. All 11 of his female friends died from eating the poisonous oleander before their caretaker figured out the problem. We needed some friends for Pedro, so we agreed to take in both of her boys. This adorable camel-faced boy has the same cool-factor as James Bond. Way Cool.
Charles Bukowski
Charles roamed wild on 300 acres in Malibu for the first 14 years of his life, but it wasn’t as fun as it might sound. When he arrived at the ranch, he was in need of surgery to deal with an infection in his throat that went all the way up into his jaw. Charles is very protective of his new goat pals and very brave. Unlike most alpacas, Charles does not back down from a fight or from any person he thinks might be causing trouble for him or his goat pals. He lives in the quiet side of the ranch so he feels safe. He loves to get treats, but does not like people to wander into his pen.
Pedro
Anyone who breeds animals eventually has to deal with unwanted animals. Those that just don’t fit. Perhaps the animal is too big or too small, too dark or too light. They are too something or not something enough. Whatever the standard is, the animal just is not good enough. When this happens, some breeders just kill the animal. Some sell it at a discount. Some dump the animal at a local shelter. The best try to find a good home for the animal, and that is how we got these two boys. Fortunately, the breeder was very good to her animals and these boys are healthy. Still, it is sad that they had to lose their home simply because they turned out to be the wrong color. The good news, is these boys will be cherished for the rest of their lives, not because they will make anyone a profit or win a ribbon in a show, but just because.