Hello and Welcome to the AlpacaBlog.
First let me say that this website is a work in progress and will be expanding greatly.
I thought I'd start the AlpacaBlog site off with my first experience in Alpacas just a few short years ago. I came from a successful 30 + year background in the Dog Show world and went looking for a new show arena as I felt it was unethical for me to show dogs myself any longer now that I am an AKC Judge [I have handler show them now, besides I'm getting to old to run around a ring anymore].
As I went on my quest I visited several farms and then visited again. I found while I was extremely impressed with the Peruvians overall looks I felt they lacked the bone and substance that I was looking for [I always demanded good bone in my English Springer Spaniels] and many of the Chileans I found I wasn't pleased with their coarse head pieces. I know, I know believe me it was difficult to speak in dog terms to Alpaca people. I'm certain every time I left a farm they all chuckled about the crazy dog lady. But I wanted, in my livestock, what I have in my show dogs, Type, Style, Proper shoulder layback, good head pieces, fluid and correct movement and great coats [oops Fiber]. I guess it still remains to be seen if you can teach an Old Dog new tricks.
Anyway on with my quest. I finally found a white Chilean proven female, while she was not the perfect specimen herself, she carried the substance and soundness and yes the fiber I felt I was looking to begin with. The cincher on this purchase was that I fell in love with her son, a glorious white male with incredibly dense fleece and beautiful bone and a true show attitude and his mother was already bred to the same Peruvian male that had produced this lovely animal. I was hooked. I felt the style of the flashy Peruvian sire and the soundness of the substantial Chilean female would give me what I was looking for. AHH but then comes the part where nothing is ever what it seems. This female had been bred, February 1st., 2006 and they had the ultra sounds to confirm the pregnancy and she was due to deliver her Cria in January of 2007. I had purchased her in October of 2006 and visited her every other day as I had not had my barn built yet and it would be Spring before it could go up. I had the selling farms Veterinarian out on a monthly basis to keep a check on her. January came and went, no Cria. Went to having the Vet out every two weeks, with untold ultra sounds. I was convinced the Vets were thrilled to death with the extra income from the paranoid dog lady. Winter in Northeastern Ohio is always brutal so I'm now in panic mode, having the sellers insulate an area in the barn and place heat lamps in her stall. Come on after all we use heat lights when whelping puppies and I was convinced the baby would come out a popsicle. It's now Spring and still no Cria, Vet bills are coming fast and furious and the crazy dog lady needs psychotherapy.
My barn is finished and I finally bring my forever pregnant mom home along with a couple of loaner females from the sellers farm for company. Summer comes, still no Cria, but found a new Vet, it was time to share the wealth. More ultra sounds for sanity check and Cria is fine, Vet says any day. Fall comes, [give me a break]. One Vet tells me to drive her to Cornell University in upstate N.Y. because he feels I have a mummified fetus. Fired him as I could watch the baby roll. Called Ohio State where they tell me that if she goes two years call them. WHAT!! Time for a new Vet, who says the first sensible thing to me, and she decides that my female obviously slipped her pregnancy and was rebred by an escapee male. Dr. Pam confirms all is well and that this is not going to be the forever pregnant Alpaca. Finally October 1st., 2007, 19 months after she was originally bred we had a beautiful baby girl who was well worth the wait. By the way the Cria was sired by the Macho male that she was originally bred to so I did get a lovely female that was a repeat breeding of the boy I fell in love with.
You know it was so much easier in dogs. You do a breeding and wait 59 to 63 DAYS and you have several to choose from for your next show animal. My first experience in Alpacas was to wait 19 months and consider myself lucky to have one baby and thank the gods that it's a girl. My heart may not be able to run around the dog show ring anymore, but I don't think my nerves could take another pregnancy like that one.
Janice K. Johnson, Alpacas Afield Online & AlpacaTyme Farm
