One Fine Guard Llama

Five years ago, when I started my journey as a shepherdess.....I bought a guard llama. I had no idea what I was doing.....but the whole idea of my sheep hanging out at the ranch with no protection, and the idea of finally having a great excuse to own a llama....lead me to buy one from Raindance Llamas. I am so very glad I did.

Gingerbread was awesome, from the day she arrived she took to the sheep like a girl to chocolate. The sheep figured it out real quick.....and would run to Gingerbread any time they felt a threat. That would include dogs wanting to sort them off to work them! My dogs got very good at shedding sheep off the llama and Gingerbread got smart and let us !Gingerbread had a few quirky habits.....first, she would lick the fence when she got bored! Cleaning each top rung and moving down the fence.....she must have been on salary and not hourly wage!

She was very famous at the Vet's office. All the staff knew how much Gingerbread loathed Dr. Reynolds....and I am sure the staff played "rock, paper, scissors" to see who got the honor of ranch visits for my llama.

A few years back, she started occluding her esophagus. First it was when eating grain.....little piglet of a llama seemed to eat fast without chewing.....so grain was fed only in small doses....and mostly as a lure to catch her for the infamous vet visits. The occlusions became more and more regular on all food sources and it was decided that she had a malformed esophagus....a disease familiar in the camelid family. She began to loose body condition and eventually was so miserable she went off food. It was time to say goodbye to my special gal. A very sad day indeed.

Gingerbread....you were all I could have ever wished for in a guard llama. You hummed while I worked, always hanging out to be a part of anything I was doing. You were so upset the day the neighbor dog jumped in with the lambs......and would have done a great job had I put you in their pen. You brightened my days...especially when the ewes and very tiny young lambs were turned out with you. How you loved those little lambs! I remember the day I let a ewe have her babies in the pasture and you were right there...helping the new mom.....humming away, as only you could. I miss you so very much! Guard the sheep in Heaven ......until I see you again!Seize the Day!!!