Doodles and Finian's Rainbow

We were driving, on a day in summer of 76, and I said I wanted a lamb. Bob said I didn't need one and we bantered about it. Later I saw a billboard advertising something (I can't remember what), but on it was a llama. I KNEW I wanted a llama. Bob said if I could find one I could have one (figuring he was safe). So I called my Mom in California and asked her to call a Hollywood pet shop. She was told of a man in San Bernadino who had 100 of them. I called and he said the price was $900.00 a pair. Bob said I didn't need to spend that kind of $$ on a llama since I had 7 horses. For the next three years it was a joke. Whenever he asked what I wanted I always said, "A llama!". Eventually I was flying to San Francisco with a new crew and one of them had pictures of llamas. She and her husband had just bought some and they were very excited. I went home and begged to go see. We did and Bob fell in love. He said if I was willing to sell the horses I could have llamas. We only had 5 acres at the time and not enough room for both. Selling MY HORSE was one of the toughest things I've ever had to do. But, finally, we were ready.

       We bought our first llama in Oct of 79. His name was Muggs and he was so cute! He grew up with the dog, they were best buddies. In spring of 80 we decided he needed a girlfriend, so we went looking. We bought our first female in March of 80. We bought our second female, Mandy, on the day Mt. Saint Helens blew. She was the most wonderful creature I'd ever seen, she looked like a stuffed toy. She was large and wooly and if this was what llamas were, I wanted a bunch. We bought a third female that summer. Mandy was bred when we bought her, and the following January she gave birth to Andromeda (Annie). I have kept most of Mandy's and Annie's daughters, as the foundation of our herd. Over the years they have produced some of the biggest, most correct llamas (with lots of wool) that I've ever seen. In 97 I sold a few of them and kept some of their daughters, but Annie and Mandy will be here for life. They both weigh around 375 lbs, are extremely wooly and stand 46" at the shoulder. We presently have 50 llamas and are in the llama business for the long haul.

       We live on part of what used to be called The Schafer Game Farm. The game farm was once 1600 acres. When the gentleman who owned it passed away it was parceled out and we bought 40 acres. There is a Colonial bridge on the game farm that crosses a stream and leads to the lake. There are only 7 Colonial bridges in the state of Washington. This one is registered and is in the official book on Covered Bridges of America. (See the bottom of photo page 1 for picture.) The gentleman who owned the whole game farm had a Willie Randolph Hearst syndrome. Whenever he had nothing to do with his logging crews, he had them build things on the game farm. There is a concrete tower that overlooks the Olympics and a handmade log cabin (with handmade furniture) by the upper lake. There are a total of 6 lakes on the 1600 acres and we own two of them. A suspension bridge crosses the end of one lake. This man even handraised the elk. He acquired one of the only private game farm licenses in this state. When we first moved here you could still handfeed the elk, they were that tame.

       We have 40 peacocks which roam free, two wild turkeys (the only two to survive the coyotes), and about 60 Canadian Honkers who found the peacock food and have decided not to migrate. We have rainbow trout in the lakes and some are 24" now. We've stocked trout in the lake on a yearly basis for two reasons;
1. the family of river otters who live in the lake have a big appetite
2. there is a local club for "special" children who have their annual picnic on the lake and they get such great joy out of catching a fish (so do their Dads!)

       We used to have 8 swans, 4 white and 4 black. They were great, but the coyotes finally found them and in two weeks we lost them all. I miss the swans! We still have alot of deer and elk that roam freely. No dogs are allowed to roam, so the wildlife is pretty safe. We have one wonderful barn cat that that actually lives in the house.

My goals include breeding for; 1. straight conformation 2. good disposition 3. good size 4. fine, long fiber with no guard hair        I raise woollies, not because of their value over any others, but because I like them. I also like long haired cats, long haired dogs, I even like hairy cattle. We own 5 Scottish Highlanders and their calves are the cutest little balls of hair, they look like wooly teddybears. I guess that makes me consistant. My favorite "type" of llama is tall, large boned, flat backed with a high tail set and lots of wool. I don't always get it, but I keep trying.        To the right is Bobkat's Serendipity Sue. She is a RAR Chilean Columbus daughter out of Bobkat's Patty P Square. She's an example of my breeding program and the "wooly teddybear look" I love.

       I feed twice a day in the a.m. and again at 11:00 p.m. The mornings are always so hectic and there are lots of things to do. But night is my time with the llamas, one on one. I have found that they are much more docile at night. The crias (babies) are friendlier and they just seem so peaceful. We get 100 inches of rain a year. It is the worst thing for llama fleece! Mandy has actually grown green moss in the winter. It shows how well insulated the llamas are.

My herd consists of a good cross of what I call "Vintage" South American and "New Wave" South American. I don't believe there are any North American llamas. They are all South American, it just depends on when they arrived in here. I have taken the best of my Vintage females and crossed them with the flavor of New Wave Chilean blood. I am very pleased with the results. We have also added some Peruvian and Bolivian blood to our Vintage and New Wave girls. I like the cross of the Vintage with the New Wave, it provides a highbred vigor to the herd. To the left is Bobkat's Royal Anne, a RAR Chilean Columbus daughter, with her dam, Bobkat's Heaven Sent. Heaven is a daughter of Mr. McGoo x Andromeda (Annie).

        Our new motto at Bobkat Llamas is: BLENDING THE BEST OF BOTH WORLDS. Some day we will be able to offer the ultimate of the crosses. "The American Bol-a-Chile-Ru". I believe that a good llama is a good llama no matter what it's background. I am proud of my herd and would show it off anywhere. They aren't all 10's, but no herd is.

       We went into llamas from the beginning as a business, but it's a business of love. The money is a secondary wonderment. Very few people go through life loving what they do for a living, even if it is a secondary living. I feel very fortunate to raise llamas!