If you have sheep you most likely live in the country. If you live in the country there are most likely coyotes. If the winter is mild there are probably enough rabbits and mice etc. to keep the coyotes fed. Sometimes coyotes will come after your sheep and/or lambs. Some people use Great Pyrenees dogs as guard animals, some use donkeys. My parents were more prone to using a llama as their guard animal. Llamas instinctively hate anything canine-which includes coyotes. They naturally herd and protect which is exactly what sheep need. Llamas are great guard animals.
My parents and another couple were at a fiber event in Michigan. I was not spinning yarn yet so I wasn’t with them. At the event there were some llamas on display and in talking to the owner my parents found out that one of them was for sale. It also turned out that the woman, who owned the llama, lived in Kentucky and drove home from the event straight down I75 which meant she went right past the exit for Middletown. The stage was set. Except my parents didn’t have a livestock trailer. This was not a problem because their friends had a couple of horses and they were happy to lend a hand and share their trailer. Now the stage was fully set.
My parents and their friends drove home from Michigan with plans to meet the llama owner and Harry (the 8 month old llama my parents were purchasing) at the Towne Mall just off the I75 exit in Middletown. Terry went home and got his trailer and met my dad in the Towne Mall parking lot. It was getting dark and Terry walked across the street to a local fast food restaurant to get a cup of coffee. While Terry was gone, the mall security person drove up in his little golf cart with a flashing green light on top. The mall cop was talking to my dad who was explaining to him that they were meeting someone for the transfer of the llama they had just purchased at this event in Michigan. As dad and the mall cop were talking, Terry comes walking back with his coffee. As he approaches he yells, “He’s not giving you a story about picking up a llama is he?” Dad smiled at the cop and said, “I really am picking up a llama don’t pay attention to him.”
The poor mall cop. He didn’t know what to think about these two guys telling him they were picking up a llama.
Were they really? They had a trailer.
Was it plausible – yes.
Did he really believe them? He didn’t have a reason not to.
Was this going to be a great story for his co-workers-Absolutely!
The exchange took place, Harry made it to the farm and thus was the beginning of Harry the first guard llama.
My Patio 