We have not taken our alpacas to any kind of events other than shows in the past. The other week we had a request from a local preschool that we could not refuse! The children had been learning about llamas and alpacas (good teacher!) and the teacher wondered if we could bring an alpaca to school for the children to see. We chose Mary MacLeod, a dark fawn girl named after a friend of mine in Scotland. Mary is friendly and loves neck rubs and also gives kisses. We explained to the teacher that this would be a stressful experience for the alpaca and that we would need to be outside. We also asked that the children only be allowed to approach the alpacas in small groups of three.

When we got there, there was a concrete pad for the alpaca to stand on and the children were sitting on mats round about. The children were wonderful. They sat quietly while my husband did his alpaca talk.  Mary behaved beautifully! She greeted each group and allowed the children to feel her fleece. The children were really interested and excited.

We were very happy with this experience. The teachers were well prepared and followed the ground rules we had set. The children were interested and behaved well. Mary the alpaca also behaved well and the children had a very positive interaction with an animal they had been learning about in the classroom. I hope they invite us back next year!