How We're Different
When you go to many alpaca farms, the animals scatter at
the sight of people, or grab food and run off as quickly as possible. Things are a little different
at Kickapoo Creek Alpacas because Deborah began training the family dogs to perform circus tricks when she was ten
— and hasn't stopped working with animals since.
At Kickapoo Creek Alpacas, all the animals are well socialized to people, accept haltering
and routine husbandry politely, and enjoy taking walks in the surrounding area. The joy in working
with alpacas who are not terrified of people must be experienced. It is a lot more pleasurable to
perform routine chores with the herd hanging around politely hoping for a hand-out than to work in
the pasture with the animals watching warily from a far corner.
Our girls and their crias are accustomed to Andorra, our Great Pyrenees guard
dog, and all the alpacas are accepting of the 3 barn cats. Many of them have
been led around the pasture by very young children, and they are all happy to accept
food from children, often letting themselves be petted by strangers as
they are fed.
A long-time knitter, Deborah has become intensely involved in the fiber end
of the alpaca world.
She teaches beginning spinning classes at the
Champaign-Urbana Spinners and Weavers Guild
and is happy to teach the skill to new alpaca owners. She finds
spinning to be the most relaxing of the alpaca-related activities, but it is
closely followed by working with the animals and gaining their trust.
Because of the close relationship Deborah has developed with her alpacas, customer support is
extremely important not just to make new owners comfortable but to ensure the health and happiness
of her animals. Of course, boarders are welcome and are always treated as one of the family.
Our guard dog, Andorra, is a Great Pyrennese, and she was born in April of 2004. After spending a year thinking
alpacas were great toys to chase, she has settled down to her work of keeping a watchful eye on the herd. Now she
has figured out that it is the squirrels that are the toys.
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