Blog Posts

The Rescues Continue...

5/3/2016

1 Comment

Lupe (male) from Albuquerque rescued Sept 2013 to MT to work as a pack llama in Yellowstone National Park

Johnny and Ralph (geldings) moved from Corrales, NM to the Western Slopes of Colorado in Sept 2013

Susie moved from Corrales, NM to Western Slopes of CO Sept 2013

Luke, December 2015, intact male, very gentle, undernourished.

15 year old gelded male taken in to Llamas del Sol May 2016.

Butch moved from abusive, neglected home to new caring home in summer of 2014.

Adopted by Lilly and Kojo.

Lucy (felmale) from Corrales, NM moved to Buffalo, MO in Aug 2013 with her close friend Emma

Sonny (gelded) moved from Corrales, NM to the Western Slopes of Colorado Sept 2013

Molly and Dolly (females) moved from South Valley, Albuquerque to Mountain Home, TX June 2014

Survivor of a dog attack in Estancia, NM - intact male, young and spunky, rescued in summer of 2016. Rescued by Kirsten and Daniel and named Yendo

15 year old gelded male, easy to halter and walk. Terrell has always lived with Lorraine. Adopted by Lily and Kojo.

Adopted by Eric and Michelle.

21 year old female re-homed March 2016.

21 year old Pedro re-homed in March 2016. Gelded male.

Gracie is the mom - black llama and is 13 years old (as of 2017). Her daughter Summer is 10 years old and about 6' 6" tall!

Emma (female) moved from Corrales, NM to Buffalo, MO with Lucy in Aug 2013

Sasha (female) moved from Corrales, NM to Western Slopes of CO Sept 2013

2015 non-breeding female (Karmon Lorraine) about 15 years old with gelded male (Terrell). Gave some halter training.

Thumper (male) from Ojo Caliente, NM moved with Sheryl somewhere Nov 2013

Como and Navigator adopted by Eric and Michelle.

21 year old female re-homed March 2016.

21 year old gelded male re-homed March 2016.

15 year old Male (as of 2018). he has a little cloud in his left eye. Very gentile and pretty. He was never named by his prior owners so in called Noname, for now.

Carlos and Sambra came in June 2018nfrom Ft. Collins CO after their owner died. They were hand feed and very friendly

Sambra was a challenge for his owner as a bi of a bully. Now he is with other males.

October 2018 Gelded and ready for adoption. A sweet boy who can wear a halter and lead.

July 2018: Three females from Denkai Rescue from cruelty seizure never sheared in their lives.

Sept 29, 2018 28 animals including a donkey and a sheep rescued from Jefferson, CO off of hundreds of acres. These wild llamas were a huge challenge for the crew of 7 people. We need to get the remaining 7 llamas.

August 2018: Laguna male llama tied to a trailer and not able to lay down, drink, or eat. About 4 years old

Sheared and trimmed and ready for adoption these are estimated to be 7, 10, and 16 ish years old. Very sweet llamas

Able to corral 28 of the 36 animals (26 llamas) about 1/2 male and 1/2 female going to our male and female sanctuaries.

Six llamas from the Jefferson CO llama rescue came to Llamas del Sol November 2018 and were all sheared, trained, and re-homed. The last two rehomed September 2019. Everyone went to great homes! Adoptions were 1. Mister in the N. Valley, ABQ, 2. Nina (Winkin), Orphina (Blinkin), Godiva (Nod) in Kanab UT, 3. Ringo (Larry) and George (Tony) in East Mountains, ABQ

Tina intake Sept 7 from Jal, NM. Maybe 5-10 years old. Adopted and learning how to lead and pack!

1 Comment

Llama Rescue: the First Four

5/1/2016

0 Comments

The tiny corral Daisy and Dalai were living in.

A young Daisy in 2010.

Dalai right after her professional shearing in 2013.

Suki after her professional shearing in 2013.

Letta trekking with Suki behind in the Sandia Mountains

Its been a long time since I had some time to write about all my llama adventures. I am now going to log all the llama rescues and re-homes here.

My very first llama rescue was how I got started in being a llama caretaker. Daisy and Dalai were my first rescue from my home town Gardner, Colorado. I knew nothing about llamas then and learned much later that they were about 18 months old. It was February 14, 2009 when I picked them up and a great Valentines gift! I found out these llamas were born in Gardner on a farm owned by Lynnette and Jessie Klienschmidt in July 2007 and the dams and sires came from Florissant, CO - a heard of hundreds of llamas (!) Dalai came from a dam named September who died but she was the protector of the herd. (That matches Dalai's personality and the protector). There was no mention of Daisy's lineage but they were born at the same time.

My intent was to foster care for these llamas and find them homes. In learning about llamas and working with Daisy and Dalai, I completely fell in love. They are in their forever home with us.

My second llama rescue was the llama I call Suki. Her name was Aspen when I got her. She was born in Pueblo, CO May 2004 and her Sire is Graham and her Dam is Vaska both residing at 40th Lane. In Suki's case, she was living with a lot of other animals and economic times pushed the owners to try to find a home for her. I brought Suki home on July 4th 2010 - another Holiday! Suki recognized Dalai as a leader and although Suki is larger than Dalai, she looks to Dalai for protection. Suki seems to be jealous of the relationship Daisy has with Dalai and often pushes Daisy around by trying to intimidate her and spit at her.

My third rescue was my forth female llama; named Isleta. Now we call her Letta. Her story was that she was used for roping/lasso practice somewhere in the South Valley outside Albuquerque. she had also belonged to Lynn Kaufman who was rumored to have ILR papers for her. I never met Lynn or saw the papers but the guess was that Letta was 13 years old when I got her on Oct 30, 2010 (happy Halloween!). She had been previously rescued by some nice folks in Corrales, NM (Tom, Dale, and Rachel Taylor) not far from where I live. they were alpaca people and were looking for a home for Letta. A common friend (Jasmine Tritten) told me she was very pretty and sweet and really needed a home and I had better take her in! So, I picked her up, brought her home, and she quickly re-built trust in people.

Until 2016, these were the only llamas that I kept. The next post begins the rest of the rescues that I found homes for.

0 Comments

Gifts from our Customers

6/6/2014

0 Comments

From Tara and Mike while on their trip through Peru

Art by Tara and Mike Dunham during their visit to our little farm.

Art by Lisa and Rob McKenzie during the vist to our little farm.

0 Comments

Alameda Studio Art Tour 2013

11/6/2013

0 Comments

This year the Alameda Studio Art tour was a good time for us at Llamas del Sol. Hester Balsam (goat print t-shirts), Cecilia McRoberts (painting and tiles), and myself (llama fiber art) shared space and our weekend with each other and welcomed folks to see our work and visit us. Here is a short video that was taken from the tour of various art pieces and activities. Look for the llamas at Llamas del Sol! https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=3557148064428

0 Comments

More Room for the Llamas - and Right Outside our House!

2/13/2012

4 Comments

This is the padock is only a short block away from our house and helps everyone get a little walking into their day. We planted this grass in this leased one-acre field last Spring and the picure is just before we harvested the hay for the winter. I have to admit that I can't really tell one type of grass from another except for the orchard grass which stands out in color and shape. The brome and the fescue - if they both germinated - should both be there as the primary crops. I can tell there are other types that came through that look like Buffalo or Rice grass. I thought it would be easier to tell the type of grass but even with lots of research, there are so many variations, I am not able to discriminate for certain. I would welcome anyone interested to see what we have given I planted over 10 varieties.

Here are the girls looking for some action during the fall of 2011. This picture right before our Cameldynamics Clinic that we hosted in this field. This beautiful gate was donated by the owner of the field and we had the top welded to extend it one more foot to a five foot height.

Anyway, to get to the title of this blog, I am very excited to share that we have just leased another 1.5 acres for our llamas to stretch out in. I have been eyeing the field right next door for a long time. With the fantastic view of the entire field from my house (I can watch the llama activity right from my kitchen window = ) while doing the dishes) I am in heaven! We plan on adding some grass in a portion of the field and perhaps add more and more in sections for grazing. Right now it is mostly dirt with some interesting tree stumps. The field has irrigation and is next to our well so water is no problem - which is a great benefit for New Mexico property.

Once established, that will be the llama picnic area - right outside our yard. The timing of this addition is perfect as the other 1 acre field that we lease needs a break from the action. Our four llamas did a nice job of mowing down (and fertilizing) all the grass we planted last spring and we hope it will come back even thicker now.

With some time and attention, we hope this new field will look like the first 1 acre field that we planted. With this new space, getting some more animals may be irrestistable - if they are of the camelid species. We may even consider agisting. We now have 2.5 acres of pure field under lease andthe option to lease another acre, if needed.

A huge thank you to all the fine neighbors we have in the North Valley in the Villiage of Alameda who support my llama infatuation. Everyone is encouraging and seems to enjoy the addition to the neighborhood. I always get friendly remarks and questions when seen walking down our neighborhood streets with a llama on the leash.

New field right next door

New gate provided by our landlord :)

new posts to fence in the new field

Small padock to start growing grass in

4 Comments

Adobe and Roses Bed and Breakfast

11/18/2011

3 Comments

If you are looking for the best place to stay in our neighborhood, Adobe and Roses B&B is less than a 1/4 mile walk away on the lovely North Valley Acequia from our ranch. Dorothy is a fantastic host and has a beautiful property. For more information go to http://www.adobeandroses.com/. The address is 1011 Ortega Road NW Albuquerque, New Mexico 87114 (505) 898-0654. (note: Adobe and Roses is booked for the Camelidynamics Clinic)

3 Comments

Special Thanks to Albuquerque Alpacas

11/18/2011

0 Comments

Llamas del Sol is very lucky to have Albuquerque Alpacas as a neighbor. Leslie Stoddard has been very generous with her time and her expertise in camelid handling and care from which we have learned a great deal. We are also amazed at her wonderful alpaca fiber and stylish garments for sale in her shop. Go see her shop and get a tour of her ranch and meeting spaces. For more information go to http://www.albuquerquealpacas.com/.

0 Comments

Camelidynamics Clinic - Two Day Basic Handling & Training Clinic

11/18/2011

2 Comments

The Llamas del Sol Ranch hosted fabulous a clinic in October with Marty McGee Bennett, Camelidynamics founder. The clinic covered gentle and effective techniques of handling and caring for your animals without fear or force. It also included several other topics concerning animal behavior and management including TTEAM and TTouch training developed by Linda Tellington-Jones. Marty McGee Bennett has more than 25 years of camelid (camels, llamas, and alpacas) handling plus in-depth knowledge of fiber and fiber processing. We had a terrific showing from the community as well as folks traveling from all our neighboring states and even Germany!
This would not have been nearly so successful had it not been for the generosity and good will of my neighbors. I was so proud of my neighborhood here in the Villiage of Alameda as there was so much interest and support. We had 20 attendees and about 25 anaimals - llamas and alpacas to work with. Leslie Stoddard of Albuquerque Alapacas provided extra alpacas and panels, Ruth and Lance Baldwin provided tents to shade us from the sun, Nellie and Chris Chavez provided chairs and a wonderful green chili stew for lunch, Leonard and Julia Martinez provided over 20 panels, Larry and Carolyn Bizell provided panels, and then there were all the attendees who came and made it all possible.

We learned a tremendous amount and got to know each other and a variety of animals including Carolyn Ownby's Montana rescue llamas from the horrible situation in Montana last winter that required over 300 llamas to be evacated to save their lives. And what wonderful llamas they were to have at the clinic as they proved that llamas coming from a difficult situation can be revived and become very well adjusted and trust people again. The camelidynamic techniques were such a great fit and we saw a new favorable response.

This is an excellent opportunity for anyone interested in or currently raising fiber animals. You will develop a better relationship with your animals while still getting the job done. For more information about the Camelidynamics Clinics, go to www.camelidynamics.com

2 Comments

A Rio Grande Bosque Llama Trek: A Perfect Autumn Day

9/19/2011

2 Comments

I had the best time taking my clients on a llama trek along the Rio Grande Bosque last weekend! The weather in Albuquerque is superb these days as the season is changing to autumn. And although my lead llama seemed a little anxious, and walking often at a fast pace, my client handled her pressing ahead and straining to get the first peeks around every corner very well. And in reality, he became sort of her trainer for the day. That is really is something to keep in mind when bringing customers into the world of llama trekking: they should expect to be integrated into llama handling process and may be doing some maintenance training and discovery. This can be fun and exciting for new llama handlers on an adventure. In fact, together we discovered that it was the blind corners that caused Dalai to want to quickly approach them -- so that she could see what was there. That was one source for her wanting to get ahead- there were likely others (like when we got close to the parking lot, she knew we were headed home for the day). I believe if she walks that trail again in the near future, she will be more relaxed; as she had only done that walk once or twice in the last year and may have been anxious to know who was at every corner. Dalai is definately the llama who needs the most control or awareness of every situation. So, to test that theory, I hope to get out to the Alameda/Rio Grande open space and walk the trail again - and also visit that awesome camel! -Lynda LIptak

2 Comments

Camelidynamics Basic Clinic with Marty McGee Bennett 18-20 June 2011

6/21/2011

1 Comment

I just returned from Bend, OR for Marty's two day basic clininc plus a third day to practice shearing and nail clipping and what a great time we had! Her georgous farm, wonderful animals, and terrific people that she surrounds herself with leaves you with a sense that good things are happening between humans and lamas (llamas and alpacas). Surprising things can happen when you make an attempt to focus and tune yourself into the moment. This is what Marty teaches us to do with our animals and amazing things can happen. I witnessed a beautiful moment between Marty and Pablo, a llama who did not like having his toe nails trimmed, and of course that was the chore in which he was scheduled to participate. First, Marty spent a few minutes helping him become more comfortable with leg strokes and foot holding by taking and then quickly replacing his foot on the ground. That was working well as he got more comfortable with that but what was really awe inspiring to me and showed us her refined sensitivity to Pablo was that after a little conditioning, he agreed to let her hold his leg up in a relaxed manner for about 10 -15 seconds ... then she gently placed his foot back on the ground. It may not sound like much but it was beautiful to see the kind way that she worked with him and his receptivity to it. That foot got trimmed. Then, instead of doing the rest of the feet, Pablo effectively communicated to Marty that he was tired and wanted to be done with hadling. He had enough, AND SHE LISTENED! She knew there was no reason to push him to do the reast of the feet right then. Everyone should attend a clinic with Marty - she inspires moderation and understanding while listening to her inner voice about how to communicate with these wonderful animals that includes both movement and stillness. It was the stillness that Pablo had with Marty while he was in a very vulnerable position that was one of many beautiful moments at the clinic.

Pablo after his shearing. The shearer said she never saw a llama so easy while doing his back half. Mellow the whole time.

1 Comment

<<Previous

Forward>>

Author

Lynda Liptak is the founder of Llamas del Sol and is dedicated to sharing the awesomeness of llamas. She has only owned llamas since Februrary 2009 but it has been a very in-depth involvement. Lynda and her family have four wonderful trekking llamas with very different personalities. Lynda has been studying camelid dynamics since the start of her llama advantures and is an active member of Marty McGee's Camelidynamics Forum. She has completed the Basics Clinic (three times!) to include the shearing course, medication administering, and has hosted the Camelidynamics Basic training at the Llamas del Sol ranch. She is a past ski-instructor certified by the Professional Ski Instructors of America and an Emergency Medical Technician - Basic. She is also holds a masters degree in operations research from the Colorado School of Mines and works part time at Applied Research Associates, inc. as a scientist.

The Rescues Continue...

Llama Rescue: the First Four

Gifts from our Customers

Alameda Studio Art Tour 2013

More Room for the Llamas - and Right Outside our House!

Adobe and Roses Bed and Breakfast

Special Thanks to Albuquerque Alpacas

Camelidynamics Clinic - Two Day Basic Handling & Training Clinic

A Rio Grande Bosque Llama Trek: A Perfect Autumn Day

Camelidynamics Basic Clinic with Marty McGee Bennett 18-20 June 2011

Author

Archives

Categories