If not, you don’t know what you’re missing!

Each morning, as I enter the barn, Cinnamon (the orange alpaca pictured below) walks right up, sticks out his cheek and waits for me to give him a kiss and a little hug, even though alpacas prefer to not to be touched. I think he offers his cheek and stands for his hug just to make me happy. He knows it’s the highlight of my day—he also knows he’ll be the first in line to drink from the warm water buckets I bring on cold days! He does this with no one else. For sixteen years now we’ve had a very special bond; he’s truly one of my very best friends.

Since llamas and alpacas have large personal space boundaries, it’s magical when one is interested in connecting with you! They do this by stretching out their neck, and getting close enough to satisfy their curiosity. Most often these gentle animals are indifferent to the humans around them, and unlike what you might have heard, they almost never spit…only if they feel particularly threatened by their situation.

Cinnamon and I also shared a very special friend…a huge brown llama named Whisky. He’s pictured below, checking out my daughter-in-law and our youngest son on their wedding day. Beca (white alpaca) and Annabelle (tan alpaca) were also part of the festivities.

Sadly, Whisky passed away last summer. It was surprising and quite sudden. At fifteen, I was expecting him to be with us for 5-10 more years. Towering above all the other animals, he had a wonderfully large personality to go along with his stature. He certainly was one of the greatest loves of my life and the leader of the farm. I’m sure Cinnamon would agree, our barn still feels empty without him.

Please read the wonderful tribute to Whisky and Cinnamon, titled “Life Lessons from a Llama Named Whisky” written by my lovely daughter-in-law for Garden & Gun magazine. She truly understands how special it is to become best friends with a llama or an alpaca.