In the past eight months, two of my llamas have been killed by a single dog. My nine month old female was brought down in a day kill. I found her crumbled body with her skull crushed, and brains exposed. Her body was still warm. Horrified, I removed all my llamas from that pasture, and took the whole herd to another pasture about 5 miles away. When the dog did not reappear after several weeks, I brought my animals back.

A short time passed and a neighbor's frantic 3 a.m. phone call awakened me to find an adult llama staggering around my pasture with her face literally ripped off. I have handled a lot of sick and injured animals, but I have seen NOTHING to compare to the damage I saw here. After two vets worked on reconstructing her nasal passages, broken bones, etc, she died 48 hours later. She was a seven year old, 320lb female.

These animals are defenseless against a vicious dog. They reason (I believe) that llamas are effective AT ALL against dogs, coyotes, etc. is the intimidation factor. Their natural curiosity causes them to walk towards anything new in the pasture. If this technique does not ward off the intruder, their is nothing but a soft, furry sacrifice to Mother Nature. I will never again recommend a llama as a guard animal. I still have nightmares about those two girls; it was a triple horror as the first was my best-of-eight-years-with-llamas-show-prospect, the second a bred female I had just worked with DAILY to help her over a liver problem. It's not just a herd animal after you administer geritol daily with a syringe- it's a lap llama. It was the love, the money,and the horror of watching her agony after surgery. Folks also should realize that dogs usually come back to the same place to kill again. My entire herd was moved for 3 weeks after the first kill to a pasture 5 miles away. The second kill occurred 2 weeks after their return to the "killing field". How do you defend against this? I wake in the middle of the night still from time to time and check the herd because that dog is not dead, and although I have 5 foot high, 5 board wood fence with a line of barb at the top, I'm told dogs will climb up and get over this defense. Any suggestions would be appreciated."

After many months of mourning and guilt, I felt I just HAD to have llamas (I shouldn't have to explain that to you!) and was willing to do what it took to protect them. We put up a 5 foot high-tensile fence, electric, with a shock that will knock you on your rear. I've seen a couple smaller dogs enter the pasture, tho I don't know how they do it. A larger dog would be very likely to contact the fence crawling under. I think going over the top would be out of the question.

I keep a mature, very protective gelding with my herd, tho I have considered a guard dog. I sleep with the window open, even in winter, and a loaded rifle and flashlight handy. I also have an intercom in the barn, with the speaker by my bed. Not unusual for me to hike out there in the middle of the night... So, far no problems since the fence. But I know a frenzied dog or a hunting pack is unstoppable. I'll never sleep well again.

Thanks for your page...I learned a lot the hard, sad way, and don't want people buying animals from me to come to the same end that Joey did. I won't sell someone a llama if it will be by itself, either. Not just for protection, but for company. I just makes me cry to think of Joey out there by himself when this happened....

You can use the letter any way you think is beneficial. I have no problem including my name with it, but that is up to you. I'd be honored for you to dedicate the page to Joey and the other unfortunate llamas. I choke when I think of the terror they must have gone through.

When my first cria was born, I named him Patrick, but I kept calling him Joey! Old habits die hard; that hard-won lesson will die hard too! (I kept Patrick as a pet, he and I have a real bond. Sort of my a replacement for Joey.)

Thanks again--I've enjoyed ALL of your pages--the guard llama part just got to me!
Laura Keller"

His question to me was : Is there any way to protect our llamas from cougar attacks? Does any one have any ideas?

I have heard other heart wrenching tales of dogs tearing up llamas. I would like to see an all out war against llamas as guard animals. They are great alarm animals, but are as defenseless as those they are asked to protect. There was a time when guinea pigs were sold to rabbit farms to protect the rabbits from rats. The guinea pigs were put in the cages under the rabbit cages and the rats would take the sacrificial guinea pigs. A horrid method of livestock management. I always tell people the guinea pig story when thy ask me about llamas for guard animals."

Since this page went up in 95 or 96, I have come to know a woman in Canada that raises, trains and sells guard llamas responsibly and I respect her. So GUARD LLAMAS - NOT has become GUARD LLAMAS - MAYBE.

LLAMAS CAN NOT PROTECT THEMSELVES, LET ALONE OTHER ANIMALS, FROM PACKS OF DOGS, COYOTES OR WOLVES. PROVIDING PROTECTION FROM COUGAR AND BEAR PREDATION IS DEFINITELY OUT OF THE QUESTION. THESE SITUATIONS ARE AN UNREASONABLE EXPECTATION OF A LLAMA'S GUARDING ABILITIES AND CAN RESULT IN THE DEATH OF THE LLAMA AND LIVESTOCK IT'S PROTECTING .

The success of a guardian llama depends on the realistic expectation of his/her abilities. It is strongly recommended that a Gelded male, not an intact male, be used. Non-neutered males have seriously injured and in some cases killed sheep and or lambs while trying to breed them. Non-breeding females are used as well with success. A guardian is a guardian not a breeding animal.

Llamas are not difficult to care for, but they do need to be treated differently from other livestock.Their diet is similar to cattle and sheep, but they require different minerals that must be available to them alone. Minerals and mineral mixes designed for other livestock are not suitable and do not meet a llamas needs.

Can or should I shear a Llama Guardian? Yes, long wool animals definitely need shearing. Shearing should be done when the weather is warm and settled. Approximately 1 to 2 inches of fibre should be left on to protect from sun and insects. Llamas have died from heat stroke and they often show little indication of a problem until they are down and in trouble, especially if you don't know the signs. In some cases the short wooled animal can suffer from extreme heat too.

How old should the llama be? For a llama to be a successful guardian it must be secure in his/her own rights and maturity is a big factor. A mature animal is mentally and physically more likely to developed a stronger territorial sense and will bond to the subject group with a more serious attitude. Gelding of males should not be considered until they are at least 12 to 18 months old. If a female is considered, she should be at least 2 years old to be mentally mature enough to take the job seriously and not a active breeding female.

What do I need to know when I sell or buy a llama as a Guardian? The obvious answer to this is..... "Has the llama been near sheep or the subjects to be guarded?". If not, then ensure that the llama can cope with and bond to the subjects. This is the first step in determining if it is a good candidate for a guardian.... Does this animal display a sense of territorial claim? Does it back away from strange and different things coming onto the property? If the answer to these last two questions is YES, then it could be the wrong animal for the job.... Not all llamas are guardian material. Some are fearful of sheep and other livestock and will run from them. Others will go to the extreme of jumping fences to get away from them or the predator. Not the sign of a good candidate for guardian llama of the year! It takes a special personality in a llama to move away from it's own kind and not only accept, but bond to, another species and be willing to protect and defend them.

As a breeder your credibility is on the line. If you plan on selling a llama for guardian work, make sure the animal is capable of taking on the job. It does not do the llama industry any good if a farmer purchases a llama that ignores, flees at the first sign of a perceived threat, injures or kills the subjects. Llamas can be effective guardians if the placement is done with a careful and realistic approach to the type of predation and a reasonable expectation of the llama's ability to be an effective guardian in that particular situation. Offering llamas for use as guardians is just as legitimate a specialization as offering a trained llama for .... obstacle classes, packing or show. All of the above require some inclination and ability of the llama to the task at hand. A well suited candidate for any is a credit to the breeder affirming their willingness to provide a credible service. Care must be taken to insure that the llama is not being burdened with unreasonable expectations by educating the buyer BEFORE the purchase, not after the llama is dead or has failed to live up to the buyer's expectations.