LAMAS ON PARADE: Making Hoists & Carts for Physical Therapy on Animals with Neurological Disease

GALA (Llamas & Alpacas) has a long and robust history and presence on Facebook, but did you know our latest GALA venture is a Facebook group dedicated to the 26th Annual GALA Conference: LAMAS ON PARADE. We have already advertised our Big Four Speakers, so today we would like to highlight our first announced workshop: Making Hoists & Carts for Physical Therapy on Animals with Neurological Disease. This workshop will be presented by Steven Weingold, Denise Richards, and Lisa Hoffmaster. We know you will want to join us for this exciting conference and will definitely want to attend this very special workshop.

The conference dates are November 7-10, 2013 and the conference is being held at The Century House in Latham (Albany area), NY. To make reservations:

Call The Century House directly: 518-785-0931.
Let the agent know you're part of GALA or the Llama/Alpaca Conference.
The special GALA Rate is just $99.99 per night plus tax.
The rate includes a Breakfast Buffet.
And...includes free WiFi.

Bev Vienckowski & The International Year of the Working Llama

Bev Vienckowski is one busy lady. She is the editor of PLAA (Pennsylvania Llama and Alpaca Association) newsletter, The Lama Letter, a graphic artist with her own business, and a lover and promoter of llamas. Bev hikes with her working llamas trained as pack animals, and she is an eco-conscious person. Combining all her talents with her social networking skills, she had this wonderful idea for a fundraiser. See if you agree. From Bev:

I had an idea for a donation to a local Jersey Shore fund-raiser which would be a little unexpected and different. I created a gift basket for the silent auction at a Barnegat Bay Charities fund raiser event on June 23rd. An ”Eclectic Eco-Agri-Tourism Day In New Egypt, NJ.

For my part I donated a two-hour llama hike for four, a pair of socks from the Pacific NW Llama Co-op, a small bag of “Magical Llama Beans” garden soil amendment, a dozen fresh eggs and a little book about the history of our town. Carol Reigh of Buck Hollow Llamas graciously donated a Llama Scramble Squares Puzzle. Two local businesses generously donated gift certificates to round out the day trip and the gift basket: a wine tasting for four at the beautiful Laurita Winery and a delicious pie from Emerys Berry Patch organic blueberry farm. Both places are less than 2 miles from our farm. Well, the idea turned out to be a huge success. At the bell two couples were in a good natured “bidding war” for my basket. The event organizer asked if I would consider doing my llama hike Eco-Tour twice if the bidders would both make contributions to the charity. They agreed, and we raised $250 each for a total of $500! I look forward to the visits ahead and introducing some adventurous new friends to my world with llamas.

I think you will agree this is one wonderful gift basket and we applaud Bev's creativity and generosity in creating such an interesting gift basket.

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Southeast Llama Rescue: A Second Chance

Chris Stull, SELR

Formed in September, 2001, SELR was an informal NC group of people who wanted to rescue animals in need and educate people with llamas. Part animal control and public service with "a bunch of volunteers," they applied for non-profit status and became a BOD organization with 27 state-adoption coordinators. From FL to MA, west to Ohio, Indiana, and Michigan as most active states, SELR is a well-orchestrated group. Because the group grew so large so quickly, the group branched into SELR and SWLR. Since their inception, they have taken in 854 animal as of today's date, not including the Montana rescue (Camelid Coalition). Chris Stull is PLAA's Keynote Speaker and we are very pleased to have her with us today.

SELR

39 animals currently available for adoption on SELR website

Regular maintenance is not reimbursed to volunteers, but non-routine maintenance for animals is covered. SELR is an educational organization that seeks to help people learn about their animals, especially if they are the smaller farm without access to benefits of organizational membership. SELR does not wish to compete with breeders but rather help in a complementary way animals who have been abandoned but deserve a second chance. Potential adopters are screened to be certain people have the necessary housing/fencing for the animal they are rescuing. Llamas and alpacas are delivered to the adopters' door, and the new owners and taught the basics of camelid care.

Outreach is a large part of SELR; llamas are shown in parades, taken to hospitals, and put in public places at events to encourage adoption. Their motto is helping animals. This year, 224 animals came into SELR. Of those 224, 173 were adopted. SELR has permanent fosters too; 22 to be exact because of unusual medical needs or age. The need for animal control officers is rising, and SELR is called more frequently to testify, a sad trend. More recently, animals die because rescue intervention did not happen soon enough, not a fault of rescue but rather of the owners. Most llamas die of starvation because of owner neglect. The ravages of starvation take its toll, from fat to muscle to organ damage. Horrible conditions even with feeding simply causes some rescued llamas to die. You never know the damage done to the rescued animal.

A wonderful website, worth visiting again and again!!

Happy stories happen. A young llama caught in a barbed-wire fence, not noticed nor attended to, had her leg grow around the wire, but happily, surgery removed the wire without damaging the leg bone. SELR has no presence in NJ: there are llamas there but it's a dead zone without coordinators or rescuers. When asked how SELR is funded, the answer was two-fold: donations (often generous) plus the rescue fee.

Life changes. As it does, llamas are impacted. But Chris noted that we are not seeing behaviorally-challenged animals coming into rescue, and that is a benefit. Working for her PowerPoint, Chris retold the tale of the Montana Rescue, noting that SELR cannot take full credit for the rescue; they were just helpers. Animeals, a cat rescue, began the rescue. PLAA was blessed with SELR's story, told by Chris Stull, of their incredible rescue work.

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• Innovative Ways to Give (and Get): Harvesting Social Media (learningllamas.blogspot.com

Innovative Ways to Give (and Get): Harvesting Social Media

If you are active in harvesting social media, chances are you have already stumbled upon a charming B&B, replete with llamas and a unique marketing concept, all connected to the Southeast Llama Rescue organization. A complete package, and it just doesn't get any better, from a client and a marketing perspective. Located in Grantville, OH at 4058 Columbus Road SW, Orchard House, from my views of it on Facebook, looks like a must visit place to stay. With 971 Likes, 47 People Talking About It, and 46 People Were Here stats, I'm guessing this is a place I would like to visit and stay a while.

But what really convinced me (2 things, actually) was their connection to SLR and their mission statement:

We are not only stewards for the llamas at Orchard House, but have a responsibility to help those in need of a safe home, free from hunger and fear. We are happy to offer some help, while also educating the public about SELR and the llamas they protect.

A gotcha moment. They have me. More importantly, they have my future business as a destination trip. For all my friends in our camelid community, there's a rock solid marketing message here. I love that Orchard House commits to a stewardship at several levels:

1. providing a safe haven for man and llamas on site;
2. engaging in llama education (huge and we just do not do this enough--always exceptions to the rule, but let's face it, most of us fall short on outreach);
3. collaborating with a rescue organization close to their facility.

In my way of looking at the farm world in which I share my life with my husband, 3 house cats, a barn cat, and 6 on-site llamas, I would NOT hesitate to visit Orchard House. It's on my bucket list and in my Pinterest account. If you are looking for creative ways to give, Orchard House is an interesting model, fascinating, really, because they implicitly understand that to get (traffic flow) they give. That ancient concept, give to get. Love it. Love Orchard House. Wish people who are looking for new marketing avenues would take a look at this engaging opportunity for creating collaboration in the camelid community at several levels. BRAVO! (and I love the way your images appear on your website--nice use of technology).

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The Lama Letter: Supporting OUR Advertisers

At Day of Discovery, Silver Spring MD

I am a firm believer in supporting the people in our industry who put us on the map and continue our sense of community. To that end, I am a committed supporter of the Discovery Educator Network. But in my other life (don't we all have more than a few), as a llama lover, I believe that our organizations need to continue to support our advertisers. To that end, I have perused The Lama Letter (May 2011), the official publication of the Pennsylvania Llama and Alpaca Association to reacquaint myself with our supporters.

Recently, I purchased two 8' x 32" hay feeders. Farmco was a proud supporter of GALA 2010, so I am their supporter. And they make an amazing product--best in the business. The pleasantest purchase I have made in a long time, the people of Farmco trusted me with payment after my first pickup, and then delivered my second feeder two weeks later. I love this product because it keeps hay off the ground, eliminates parasite problems, and is a durable product, requiring two uber-supermen to move the Model 832L.

Tess enjoying hay on demand

Some products are life changing and these feeders qualify as just that. I can load 3.5 bales in each feeder, and for 7 llamas, restocking is well over a week (we reseeded our pastures so llamas are on hay for the summer). As you can see from the image, the feeders are not positioned for optimal access (by choice), so with 2 feeders I can easily accommodate my 7 llamas, but re-positioned in the open, 14 llamas to one feeder would be a more than reasonable ration. I love this product because even in dense downpours, the feeder fits snugly enough under the roof to keep hay dry but still permit ease of stocking. Farmco is working on putting a roof on these popular feeders with an approximate 2 foot clearance.

Another advertiser with an excellent product review by Carol Reigh in the May issue is Ranch Manager. After reading the review and speaking with Carol, I downloaded the free 30-day trial and can tell you that for ease of digital record keeping, this product is perfect for any farm, large or small, business or hobbyist. With 8 different livestock management programs, there's one for everything, including camelids. A joy to use and customer support puts you in contact with the owners and they are delightful, user friendly, and open to suggestions for customizing ease of use.

Call 814-275-2400 or email llamas@llamalove.com

Leisure Acres Llamas is a full-page Lama Letter advertiser and a Pennsylvania business nestled in New Bethlehem, not very far from our farm, making us almost neighbors as we reckon distance in rural areas. Although I have not visited this farm yet, they are on my short list of places to experience since I am looking for a large stud for one of my very large llamas. A perennial full-page ad is also my breeder, Carol Reigh's Buck Hollow Llamas. You can check her updated website to see her newest offerings. I'm actually interested in Mamie, and Carol is not exaggerating when she says she scissor clipped her at her Open Barn. I filmed the process and you can view it on PLAA's Facebook page.

Snyder Quality Llamas is hosting an Open Barn Day on Sunday, July 31, 2011, in Milford, PA, so if the Camelid Community 2011 in Kansas is not on your calendar and you are looking for a wonderful event, either as a person of interest in the llama community or a full-fledged llama lover looking to expand your blood lines (or just enjoy the day), please consider our full-page ad supporter. If you have never been to Milford, you are missing a delightful destination stop in PA. If you follow 7th Street North up to the Hill to Llama Llane, you'll be at Synder's Open Barn. You can call them at 570-296-6249 or email at llamas@sql.ms. Join us for farm tours and demonstrations. Hopefully, I'll be there, filming (if my husband's surgery and post-op therapy goes well).

Hidden Valley Farm, nestled in Cochranville, PA (another must visit) has operated as a full-service llama breeding operation for 15 years; however, they are dramatically reducing their herd size and you can be the winners. Quoting from their full-page ad, "...you can be the winners. We will be offering suggested pricing with no reasonable offer refused." They have excellent champion bloodlines with former Grand and Reserve Champion animals. You can contact Bob and Fran Swartwout at 610-932-8943 or email them at hvf@hughes.net.

PLAA on Facebook: A Great Resource

Continue to check our PLAA Facebook page for additional posts about our advertisers. Please "Like" us if you visit and consider adding us to your profile and farm pages as well.

To all you Southerners

...who passed on this lovely little girl, in the words of Julie Roberts' Pretty Woman character, "mistake...huge." I'm guessing you passed her by and left her for last--for me--because she was the runt of her litter. Admittedly, she's smaller than the usual Black Lab female, only 51 pounds, but she is all heart, all love, all lab, and always willing to do whatever the moment offers. Call it spunk, heart, willingness to please, or just being a lab, she is the delight of our days, every day.

Allie is the companion of my long walks. She swims in the pond, jumps trampoline high, fetches frizzbees leaping lizards, lights up lives of senior citizens in nursing homes, waits patiently on a raft (in the shade, of course), flies off our dock to go fishing, understands the true value of stopping to smell the flowers, and I could go on and on. She has added a special dimension to our lives, has locked herself into our forever hearts, and life has never been the same since her arrival. If there's an easier dog to live with and love on this planet, then Allie has a double.

Point being so simple: you missed out on the dog of your lifetime and now she's mine, and we love everything about her, including her size because we know she has the biggest heart of all. Your loss.

Chickens in the Attic

Chickens--definitely in my farm future

Definitely not urban agriculture

In another life, one of my best friends raised chickens. We lived in a typical small town neighborhood in Historic Bethlehem, PA, and my friend's family owned the concession stands at Willow Park. I loved the park because it had, bar none, the biggest ever swimming pool. Even the country clubs couldn't touch it. Today the park is a memory, plowed over and under for, how ironic, a construction company.

Image from fahrmboy http://fav.me/d2ej2dq

OK, I'm getting to the heart of the story. I used to hear strange noises when I visited at my friend's home. One day I summoned my nerve and asked her what was upstairs (reluctant to ask--figured mice or something awful like that, although that didn't figure, given the neighborhood). Turns out it was chickens. Which brings me to the chicken debate in Albany. I don't know the mayor, but my sense of things is so simple: chickens belong on a farm or outside of a city. Not inside. If I lived in our Parkway home, given we have more land than a more tightly packed neighborhood, lots are larger...I would not raise chickens, nor would I want my neighbors to either.

Definitely in my farm future--but beige.

We live in a culture that has a level playing field mentality. I just don't buy it. City homes and country homes have different purposes, which is why we have both. Truly, I do not want to lose my NY friends on Facebook, but from personal experience, I just do not think people should be permitted to raise chickens in a city environment. For me, urban agriculture is an oxymoron. Not the hill I'm dying on, either, but if a city dweller near me started with chickens, I'd be at city hall complaining, first thing. Sorry, Teri. Love you lots, but not this cause. When I retire, I plan on raising chickens; even found the chicken coop of my dreams (but it must be beige). But the chickens will free-range on the farm, not in our city home.
Amen.

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