ShaDo Alpacas at Midway Ranch

Montana Large Animal Sanctuary Rescue

2011-01-19T22:10:00.001-08:00

On Saturday, we will be making the trek to Montana to rescue a llama. If you are not aware of this horrific situation, I suggest visiting the Animeals blog at http://animeals.wordpress.com/ or the animeals.com website. Just googling "Montana large animal sanctuary rescue" will also provide all sorts of details. Some of which, you may wish you had never seen.

I can honestly state that I never expected that I would be doing this. I love my alpacas. They are my kids, my babies. I know that technically, they are livestock. Truth be told, to me....they are much more than that. With that said, I still did not consider myself a llama person.

My alpacas are special. They are cute, and have individual personalities. Some of them are sweet. Some of them even seem to like me. Some are aloof. I even have a couple of true brats. Yet I still love them. Some I will not sell, but even those I am not fond of will never go to a home that will not properly care for them. Still, even with my love for the alpaca, I did not think much of llamas. I understood that they are a cousin to my beloved alpacas, but still....to me, they were pack animals. They couldn't possibly be as lovable as the alpaca, right? I could not have been more wrong.

Earlier in December, I noticed a post on an alpaca chat site announcing the closure of an animal sanctuary in Montana. An estimated 1200 animals were impacted, including 600-800 llamas. I thought it was horrible, but didn't really want to get involved. Then the reality of the situation hit me as I began to read the personal accounts from those on the ground. I read the stories of how the rescue teams showed up and simply couldn't leave. I read the stories, and saw the pictures of the true horror that was the reality for these animals. I then thought about my Mysti.

Mysti is my miracle alpaca. She was an accident. I left a gate unlatched last December. As a result, my boys got into the girls pasture and had quite a party. At the time, all girls had been bred; however, one of the girls had an ultrasound that was a "maybe" as her ultrasound had been performed early in her suspected pregnancy. I waited, and had the vet out to perform a follow up ultrasound. This time, Juliette was confirmed pregnant. Unfortunately, the pregnancy was dated to the time of the break in, not the planned breeding 2 months prior. Since Juli was not related to any of the possible sires, I decided to let her continue the pregnancy even though it meant a thanksgiving due date. November weather here is highly undesirable for a cria birth, but I was committed to watching over her as best as I could.

November arrived and I watched her like a hawk. On the 12th, I got word from our ranch manager that Juli had delivered, two weeks early. I rushed home to attend to the cria, and at first glance, my heart dropped a little. She was up, moving around fine but had crooked ears and wonky legs. She was the spitting image of the one male I did not want to be part of my breeding program. Oh well, I thought....I'll make the best of it. I soon realized that despite our best attempts to dry her off, she was still damp and starting to shiver. I made the decision to bring her inside to blow her dry as I feared she would not survive the falling night time temps.

I picked her up, and brought her inside. I turned on the hairdryer and began to give little Mysti her blow out. She stood quietly, and then closed her eyes, sat down on my carpet and I swear that little girl began to smile as the warm air dried her coat and warmed her skin. At that point, I fell head over heels in love with this little girl. I no longer cared who her father was. I no longer cared that she had crooked ears and crooked legs. She was no longer an accident, she was a miracle. After she was fully dry, I wrapped her up in two cria coats and returned her to her mother.

Since that day, little Mysti always runs up to greet me when I enter the pasture. Her ears were taped by the vet, and I gave her some extra vitamin d paste. She quickly transformed from the ugly duckling to a beautiful little swan. Her ears and legs are now perfectly straight. She is the sweetest cria ever born on our farm. She is friendly and smart. Turns out, her father is actually one of our best males. I completely misjudged her in that first hour and she taught me a very valuable lesson.

Mysti has no idea she was an accident. She has no idea if her sire is a dud or a stud. All Mysti knows is that she is here, she is alive and healthy and she is happy. This is one cria that is truly happy to just exist. She is happy to be alive and she proves this to me every single day. Whether she nuzzles me for an extra bite of grain, snuggles up to have her chin scratched or kicks up her heels as she plays with her buddies, she sends a clear message: "I'm happy to be alive."

That is when it hit me like a ton of bricks. The rescue effort in Montana involves hundreds of animals. Llamas, sheep, goats, horses, donkeys, cattle, bison, camels, emus, you name it....this "sanctuary" had it. Unfortunately, this sanctuary became a death sentence. Animals were not provided basic care and were dying from starvation, injury, disease and the elements. I thought of my sweet little Mysti and realized that those llama crias that were being born in the snow and dying on the spot deserved what Mysti has. Their mama's deserve it. All of these animals deserve what Mysti shows me every day: sheer joy, the joy of just being alive.

At that point I just knew I had to become involved. I donated to two of the organizations coordinating rescue efforts. It didn't feel like enough. I applied to adopt a llama, and then got word I had been approved. I then went to Shawn and advised that I had applied to adopt and had been approved and asked if we could confirm the adoption. Shawn took one look at my face and knew how important this was to me and agreed we could rescue one of the llamas.

Everyday, I read the various blogs describing the horrors found by those onsite. I cry every night as I read the accounts of the dead and dying, or sick and injured. Shawn tells me to stop, advises that we are already helping by donating and adopting one of the llamas in need. I tell him I can't. I want to cry for them, I need to cry for them because for every tear I shed, there is hope. There is the next story of a group of animals making it off the sanctuary and into foster and permanent homes. There is the story of a cria that makes it, despite the odds. There is the chance that one more animal gets to feel what Mysti has always known. There is no greater joy than being able to live. Not just survive, but to truly be alive.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Location:Rimrock Rd,Monroe,United States

Easter bunny arrives early!

2010-03-17T18:46:00.001-07:00

This years male cria have all been succesfully weaned and are doing great with halter training. Henry is showing signs of being a performance class champion as well- he enjoys obstacle course work and playing dress up!

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Typical day of cria hijinks

2009-09-21T11:19:00.000-07:00

This is what a typical day of cria hijinks looks like at our farm.

The new baby, Rusty, is just trying to figure out where he fits in.

Penny, our 1 month old little girl is following the 3 month old boys around. The 3 month old boys are already up to no good: Max is practicing to be a stud boy by trying to mount his mother, while Henry has decided that chewing on his own leg might be fun.

Luc the dog ignores it all, while Rayo the yearling looks like he wants to join in on the "fun".

Ah, what can I say? Nothing is funnier than cria at play!

-- Posted from my iPhone

Please welcome Little Rusty!

2009-09-20T13:05:00.000-07:00

Our 2009 cria season is now complete with the arrival of Juliette's cria, a 16lb healthy little boy who is an interesting fawn color with a gray face and lower legs. He is cute as can be, and we can't wait to watch his color develop to see what color he really turns out to be!

Juliette did great, birth was completely unassisted which was great since we both happened to be at work. Her delivery was the only one we missed this year, so we are thankful that she did not need any assistance.

We have also been busy with adding onto our barn and building new structures. The place is growing rapidly. By next year, we should have our farm store up and running and be ready to host events such as seminars and open houses. It should be a great year.

Please Welcome Penny!

2009-08-16T12:33:00.000-07:00

Hi Penny, I'm Max!

Don't worry Mom. I got it all under control.

GET ME OUT OF HERE!

First steps

Imlay delivered her 2009 cria on August 15th, around 6pm. Was a little worried about her with the late in the day labor, but all was well as Imlay proved once again: "I got it under control, 6am or 6pm, doesn't matter!" On top of having a healthy cria and unassisted delivery, she gave us a gorgeous little girl!

Currently calling her Penny as she was the color a bright new shiny penny yesterday. Today, she's turning into a lovely dark - medium fawn. She's the largest cria we've had born here to date at 21.8 pounds. Our other cria have averaged between 15-17 lbs at birth. Imlay is a champ and Creme Brulee, our Patagonia Compadre son, is now proven with a little girl on the ground. Great job Imlay and Creme!

No News for Paris

2009-07-24T18:26:00.000-07:00

July 1st was a sad day here at ShaDo Alpacas, as Paris delivered a stillborn. I had to help her delivery a full term, true black little boy but unfortunately he had passed a way a couple of days prior to Paris going into labor. We took the little boy up to the vet for a necropsy, and also had to take Paris in as she had not delivered the placenta.

I spoke to our vet today, and the cause of death could not be determined. Paris is doing great and will be re-bred later this summer after a few more weeks rest and recovery. While it is frustrating to not have any answers, we are at least comforted by the fact that Paris is fine, and appears to have no idea about what happened to her. She is a healthy, well adjusted girl and we can't wait to see what she can do next year.

In the meantime, we are still expecting cria's from Imlay in August and hopefully, Juliette in September. Our two new babies, Max and Henry, are doing GREAT. Very active, healthy little boys. Max is an absolute stunner and Henry is cute as cute can be. He also thinks he's a Great Pyrenees, but that's a whole other post entirely!

New Cria's Birth Slideshow

2009-06-20T17:44:00.000-07:00

Cashew and Northstar both gave birth to little boys on Friday June 19th. This slideshow captures both births and the cria's first day with their herd. Names are pending....right now I'm calling them Hank and Max instead of Cashew's baby, etc.

I still can't believe these two went into labor on me at the exact same time! Everything went fine, luckily my only problem was trying to figure out who to photograph and when. Cashew is an experienced Mom, but this was Northstar's first cria. She did great, immediately started caring for her little boy and is a very attentive Mom.

Latest Edition

2009-06-17T22:26:00.000-07:00

Please welcome Disco, Luc's new little sister. She is living with Luc and the alpacas and is learning how to protect them from predators. Ok, right now she's really just jumping all over Luc and pulling his tail and doing all the things that annoying little sisters do....but she'll get it soon enough! She is 8 weeks old, and has already learned her name and that if she SITS, she'll get attention, so she's fitting in perfectly!

Rayo's First Haircut--Shearing Day 2009

2009-05-31T23:40:00.000-07:00

It's me, Rayo from ShaDo Alpacas. I get to be the official spoke-paca for Shearing Day 2009! I am so excited! Well, really I am just glad it's all over now, cuz it was my first time getting a hair cut. I did NOT like it, but I was very brave. I must show those big boys who's really the boss around here.

Special thanks to everyone who came out to help with our shearing day. I heard Mom and Dad say that they couldn't have done it without you! I also wanted to thank Franc and Ruben for taking such good care of my herdmates and me. We have tons of pictures up in our gallery, check it out at MY GALLERY.

If you have any pictures you’d like to include in our gallery, please send them our way. You can reach us at info@shadoalpacas.com.

I also wanted to tell everyone that I love visitors. Please contact us to schedule a farm visit. We’ll be opening a farm store later this summer and there might even be some products made from MY fiber one of these days. Right now, we have socks for sale on our website and I hear they are amazing.

I’m getting pretty big now, but I won’t be the baby of the herd for long. Cashew, Paris, Northstar, Imlay and Juliette are all due to have crias this year so check back soon for updates on the new babies. Better yet, sign up for the ShaDo Alpacas newsletter at www.shadoalpacas.com to get the latest news FIRST!

We are also on Facebook now. Feel free to check us out and add yourself as a fan! I’m pretty busy now with all this Facebook stuff, posting on our blog and posing for the thousands of pictures that Mom insists on taking. You’d think I was a movie star or something the way she follows me around with that camera.

Well, I’ve got to run now. It’s time for me to pronk my way around my paca-run and get the other boys to chase me. Mokka always tries to race me, but I’m still the fastest….I’m named after lightning, after all……….Happy Pronking!

Here's to the arrival of Spring!

2009-04-18T21:05:00.000-07:00

We had a rough winter with record snowfalls as you can see in this picture. Here's to welcoming spring finally! We've had a busy few months on the farm and have a few bits of exciting news to share.

Rayo has now been weaned and is doing great with his new buddies, Mokka and Cosner. He's learning his place in his new herd, and is already starting to make his presence felt. We decided not to show him this season, as he had just been weaned and we didn't want to stress him. We also decided to wait until we have more than one alpaca to show.

We did enter photos in the Alpacapalooza photo contest, and managed to win two ribbons! We took a third in the humor category for the this photo of Rayo trying to share his leaf with Creme Brulee and won best marketing photo for the photo of Carlton watching the girls run past him, kicking up their heels.

In celebration of the photo contest ribbons, we now have some great products for sale at Zazzle.com with these photos and more! Please check out our store at http://www.zazzle.com/shadoalpacas or at the alpaca gifts link to the left.

We are also now on Facebook! Please join us and become a fan.

We've got socks!

2008-11-23T20:35:00.001-08:00

We are proud to offer these new Superwarm Heavy Extreme Alpaca socks from
Choice Alpaca Footwear.

Made from alpaca wool, these extreme warm alpaca socks are very warm alpaca socks yet surprisingly soft and comfortable. They are designed to last and last. Perhaps best of all, unlike most other heavy wool socks or alpaca socks, they were created to be Machine Washable/Dryable!

The socks "breathe" by design, allowing air to act as an insulator to keep your feet warm, dry and odor free. Some have tested the odor resistance to the extreme and have be amazed at the results!

The Superwarm alpaca socks are the ultimate in comfortable alpaca warmth for the feet! Designed to be the warmest, most comfortable heavy alpaca socks available! Perfect for outdoor sports like skiing, snowmobiling, hunting, hiking, winter fishing, winter camping, etc.

These are really warm alpaca socks!

These warm alpaca socks also a great choice for poor circulation and cold feet in general. The added terry cushioning not only keeps cold feet warm, it allows them to breath so your feet do not get sweaty/clamy, and they provide good foot cushioning.

50% heavier than the nearest competitor.

These extreme warm socks are warm even when wet!

The perfect choice for:

* Outdoor work
* Cold offices
* Cold floors
* Outdoor fun and sports
* Outdoor walks
* Poor circulation
* Dry cracked winter feet
* Fit great in boots
* Added warmth to slippers

Please visit our website to order www.shadoalpacas.com/products.htm or email info@shadoalpacas.com for more info and local delivery and pick up options.

The New Girls

2008-11-23T20:30:00.000-08:00

Please welcome our latest additions, Red Velvet and Juliette. Velvet is a stunning rose grey and Juli is a bay black that is the exact color of Hershey's Cocoa powder.

Rayo: Fast as Lightning? You Decide.

2008-09-07T20:54:00.000-07:00

Shawn's Cupola

2008-09-07T20:29:00.001-07:00

Shawn just finished the cupola for the utility barn. It looks great, and the barn is really starting to look finished with the new roof.

Our First Product

2008-09-07T20:25:00.000-07:00

Our sis in law has been hard at work learning to hand spin our alpaca fiber. This sample is from one of our fiber boys, Cosner. Stay tuned for our future creations as Lori continues to spin and Doanielle begins to felt.

Rayo Update

2008-09-07T20:21:00.000-07:00

Hi, it's me Rayo. I'm growing like a weed and I'm super fast! Just like lightning!

Pastures 2009

2008-09-07T20:10:00.001-07:00

Shawn has been hard at work on the 2009 pastures. Please take a look at our before pics. Updates will follow in 2009!

The Girls are Pregnant

2008-08-23T13:01:00.000-07:00

Cashew, Northstar and Paris are all confirmed pregnant. Due date for Cashew and Northstar is June 12, 2009 and June 26, 2009 for Paris.

Imlay has her cria

2008-08-23T11:51:00.000-07:00

Please welcome Rayo, he was born here on our ranch on Monday, August 18th, 2008. Imlay gave birth in the early morning, following a thunder and lightning storm. Rayo is the Spanish word for lightning, and the name just fit him perfectly. Rayo was 15.4lbs at birth and is a healthy, active little guy. Luc is very protective of our first cria and we think Rayo is very special.

Special Guest #2

2008-07-27T20:10:00.000-07:00

This is Ace. We are currently breeding Paris and Northstar to this handsome stud.

Special Guest #1

2008-07-27T20:02:00.000-07:00

This is Payday. He's staying with us for a few weeks while we breed our girls. Cashew is Payday's date while he is with us. We bred them on July 12th, and have since reintroduced the happy couple, and she wants nothing to do with him. Fingers crossed that she is indeed pregnant at this point. Ultrasound will be pending for confirmation.

Close Up View of the Run

2008-07-27T19:56:00.000-07:00

Alpaca Run

2008-07-27T19:46:00.000-07:00

The gates are closed across the road, creating a part of the run. This allows us to move the alpacas between pastures.

Bert and Bru

2008-07-27T19:42:00.001-07:00

Bertolini and Creme Brulee enjoying their first taste of their new grass.

New Pastures and Fencing

2008-07-27T19:37:00.000-07:00

This is the new pastures and fencing recently built. The grass is the new alpaca safe grass that we had to replant as our old grass had endophytes.

Closer View of Feeder

2008-07-27T19:32:00.000-07:00

Paris and Northstar enjoying their grain. This feeder provides a tray for grain, and the hay doesn't fall into the alpaca's top knot.

Alpaca Feeders

2008-07-27T19:28:00.000-07:00

Shawn just finished construction on the first alpaca feeder. The girls love it!

More Cabinets

2008-07-27T19:25:00.000-07:00

Future cabinet install..

Barn Cabinets

2008-07-27T19:20:00.000-07:00

Installing cabinets in the utility barn. The barn will eventually have concrete floors and will serve as a work area, storage and will be used for shearing.

Barn Trench

2008-07-27T19:17:00.001-07:00

Running water to the middle pasture. This now gives us water access at both pastures, plus at the barn.

Middle Pasture Trench

2008-07-27T19:12:00.000-07:00

The trench running down the middle pasture.

2008-07-27T19:08:00.001-07:00

Building the trench for drainage and to provide water to the center pasture.

Alpaca Shelter, Alpacas Included!

2008-07-27T19:04:00.000-07:00

Completed shelter, barn still under construction.

Shelter and Pasture Construction

2008-07-27T18:56:00.001-07:00

The beginnings of the initial pastures. We started with two pastures, but then split the boys pasture into two, and modified the center area to be used a back up pasture. We then had four pastures available.

Barn and Shelter Construction

2008-07-27T18:39:00.000-07:00

This is how we started. The middle structure is the utility barn and the two structures on either side are the beginnings of the 3-sided alpaca shelters.

The Ranch....before Alpacas

2008-07-17T21:36:00.000-07:00

This a picture of the pasture area before the construction of ShaDo Alpacas began.

Alpaca Slideshow

2008-07-17T21:21:00.001-07:00