Today, my daughter and younger son took the alpacas out of the round pen at the front of the house to the back yard, to their new home. When I got home from work, they told me all about the crazy time they had moving them. Since they are not halter broke, and we have yet to buy halters, they took them there by just wrapping their arms around their long necks and leading them. It took a while for the kids to get near enough to even touch them in the round pen but, once they finally lassoed them, the long walk out to the back yard was surprisingly easy. They told me that the alpacas were reluctant in the beginning but walked better and better along the way. I'm impressed! Imagine trying to walk a large animal with just your arms around it's long neck. The alpacas are timid and don't know us but I think that once we win them over they will be very easy to work with. They were very willing with their previous owner when she had a bucket of treats to offer them.
The pen out back was used as a dog run when I had the pair of German Shorthair Pointers and is a large area. It has several trees and a sturdy fence to keep predators (and nuisance dogs!) away from the alpacas. The kids cleaned out all the scrub weeds and put a large water bucket out there for them. Now, I need to get a mineral block and start drawing up plans for building a lean-to shed for winter. I've got to call a vet out for a routine visit on ALL the livestock and make arrangements for having the alpacas sheared at the end of the month. All is going well and according to plan but it makes me sad that now I can't even see them until I'm walking again. I'm still working on getting out to the barn and the alpacas are on the way so maybe, one day soon, I'll figure something out, hopping along with the wheelchair, or something. I just need to figure out how to go up and down multiple steps and through a ravine, following a loooooong, rough, gravel and dirt pathway. My daughter tells me Yalla! is acting really bratty. Maybe she misses me?
Move On - song: Move On, artist: David Bowie, album: Lodger
Follow my journey into the future. I promise it will be full of random rants, travel and other photos, musical musings, especially BOWIE, general chaos, and all my animal family: four horses, three alpacas, three dogs, and three and a half cats.
6 comments:
I haven't had time to comment but have been lurking and reading...glad to hear the alpaca move went well. You'll figure something out to go and see them - where there's a will, there's a way :)
Awww, Your kids sound like they are good help.
I've got my fingers crossed that Megan grows out of this lazy-teenager stage soon. She used to be such good help and these days....not so much.
Your gonna be busy when you get out of that wheelchair!
Good job by your kids. Please don't rush your healing. I've known people who went too fast and wound up messing something else up. You'll get there and when you do you want to be strong and well.
Dan
Good luck with these two new additions! How exciting! Sounds like your kids have the whole adventure under control. I think I would be scared of Alpacas, but they sure are cute!
I bet that was fun! Too bad there weren't pictures. I hope you leg heals quickly. :)
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