During the month of October, the AOA encourages all alpaca farms to participate in Alpacatober...a salute to the animals we all raise and love! We are going to share a little about why we love raising our animals. So here goes.....

10/3- In the mornings I love grabbing a cup of coffee, getting my little dog, Gracie, on her leash, and heading out for a walk to the barn and pastures. The alpacas are so curious that they come right to the fence to see what is going on...even though Gracie and I do this almost daily. They follow me as I walk up to let them out to the field for a morning snack. Once the gate is open, it is off to the races! It makes me smile every time!! 

10/8--Today we had a family come to visit the farm. The kids were having fun walking around with the alpacas, but when I joined them, one of our new girls decided that today was friend day. She immediately came to me and started rubbing my arm and face with her face. Then she laid her head on my shoulder and walked with me. The family was so impressed..HAHA! I have no idea why this particular girl wanted to be so friendly for our guests, but she sure put on a show for them. I had to explain that most of the alpacas do not act overly friendly and that she was not usually that way. After the guests left, she went right back to the herd like nothing happened at all. The individual personalities of the alpacas are so fun and interesting! I just wish I knew what they were thinking sometimes. 

10/10-- Today I had to check one of the girls' eyes. One of the crias keeps getting dirt or something in her eye and it gets goopy, so I have to catch her more often than the rest. Today, she followed me into the barn when she saw me coming with my supplies. I had to laugh. Though she didn't like it, she let me hold her and she was very good about the eye cleaning and treatment.  I love the feeling when a little one finally trusts me. Afterward, she just walked back outside to go find her friends!

10/13-Luke and I were sitting around the fire ring this night, having some mountain pies, and he was telling me all about our last 3 crias born in September--how they were running and pronking with each other at feeding time and how it always makes him stop and watch. They are truly full of joy when they are all playing together!