Willowmere Farm is home to 26 Huacaya alpacas, 8 Icelandic sheep, two Great Pyrenees livestock guardian dogs, our guard llama, Tina, and a flock of chickens. On this page, you can meet each of them, and learn a bit about what makes each breed so special! If you’d like to meet them in person, visit us or see our events page.
Meet the Herd
Alpacas
Known for their unparalleled fiber and gentle, inquisitive personalities, alpacas were first domesticated from wild vicuñas between 6 and 7 thousand years ago by Indigenous Andean peoples, whose descendants carry on the traditional arts of alpaca farming and fiber processing to this day. Learn how we’re giving back for the gift of alpacas.
Female Alpacas
Tori
Tori is a playful and inquisitive little one, packing genetics to boot. The daughter of 2022 AOA National Color Champ APP Pherocity and MAPACA Highest Score in Color Class Dakota Grey, we know she’ll be one to watch. Tori’s exceedingly friendly and vocal, and fond of nose kisses.
Juvenile
8 months
Penelope
Penelope is a beautiful silver grey and white from Christian and Lizzy, with long, dense, crimpy fleece and great coverage. She’s the full sister of Cannoli and a bit of a princess.
Yearling
1 year
Dakota Grey
Dakota Grey presents with a stellar pedigree and the show record to match. She and Christian Grey are half siblings, and we’re excited by the possibilities of her grey genetics.
Open Proven
4 years
Holy Cannoli
Holy Cannoli made a statement at several shows as a yearling. She is now the proud mama of Cannonball, her first cria with a lustrous black fleece. We expect many beautiful crias to come from Cannoli; the next is set to arrive in September!
Pregnant!
3 years
India
Curious and friendly, India often seeks us out to nuzzle us or touch noses in search of treets. Just like her sire, Devalla, she’s quite a fluffball, with a deep, dense coat of fiber.
Unproven
2 years
Aura
Aura (aka Maya, aka My-my) was the pride of our original herd, with her extremely dense fleece and strong genetics. She and Ohla share a special friendship and have been a nearly inseparable pair since the beginning.
Open Unproven
4 years
Lady Elizabeth
Pregnant!
9 years
Lizzy is our golden mama! She and Christian Grey are a magic pair, consistently producing top tier babies. Lizzy’s daughter Penelope is growing up fast and ready to meet the world. Lizzy is expecting her next cria in June — we can hardly wait!
Electra
With her wide, peering eyes, Electra is a wonderful mother with a sensitive, comforting hum. She is pictured above with her son, Phoenix, from our regal sire, Chance.
Open Proven
14 years
Ohla
Strong-willed and assertive, Ohla presides over the hay feeders. She and Aura are usually stick together, and even at 14 she retains a soft, well-structured fleece.
Open Proven
14 years
Clarisse
Food-loving and content with the small things in life, Clarisse can’t be bothered to hurry and is always the last one out the door. Clarisse is friendly, approachable and always ready to accept a treat!
Open Proven
9 years
Lavanah
Lavanah (aka Livvy) is a shy old girl with curious and emotive eyes. She often stays back from the pack and likes a good “cush” when things are overwhelming. With enough time, she will warm up to those dedicated to winning her trust!
Retired
19 years
Male Alpacas
Odin
Only a week old, Odin is already a precocious, independent, and energetic little one. He’ll lead the rest of the herd out to pasture and race around while the others graze. Though he’s too young to eat solid food, he’s already imitating the others and carrying grass around in his mouth.
Newborn
0 months
Cannonball Express
Cannonball is a dramatic true black male with a uniform coat of dense, tightly curled, luscious fiber. He’s a quiet but playful little guy, and likes to run around and tussle with Tori.
Juvenile
10 months
Phoenix
Phoenix (also affectionately known as “Little Ewok” for his fluffy face) is a quiet and independent medium fawn male who often strays from the other crias’ wild play time but enjoys snuggling up in quieter moments.
Juvenile
11 months
Christian Grey
6 years
Christian is a beautiful grey male with a dense, crimpy blanket and packed with blue ribbon genetics that he’s passed on to Cannoli, Penelope, Cannonball, and 6 others.
Devalla
7 years
Our laid back boy Devalla is a big-boned, phenotypical male packing density in his oodles of white blanket and some excellent coverage, which he has passed on to his daughter, India.
Chance
16 years
Sire of Phoenix and the elder statesman and protector of the herd, Chance is mostly content to lie in his favorite spots and savor the hay. However, in response to any perceived threat to the male herd, Chance jumps into action!
Special Edition
Eddie is an absolute sweetheart who loves attention and has marvelously dense fiber. He never developed testes as a baby, contributing to his calm and gentle babyish demeanor and penchant for suckling on fingers.
Gelding
7 years
Snickers
Snickers is a handsome boy with a full coat of luminous dark fiber, the best curly beard, and majestic poses. Strider is his best buddy!
Unproven
9 years
Strider
Strider is best known for his comical poses! Friendly with all the males, he prefers to stay under the radar, most frequently near his buddy Snickers.
Unproven
10 years
Perrier
Perry is easy to spot, with his prodigious ear hair, eyelashes, and perfectly curled moustache. He’s a friend to all in the boys’ herd and a willing participant when hand-fed treats are involved!
Unproven
9 years
Boomer
Boomer is one of our most expressive boys and a good leader in training, with a strong sense of responsibility for the herd. He loves visitors and is always willing to engage with treats!
Unproven
9 years
Smokin’ Guns
Smokey loves nothing more than good food. His squeals of joy let us know right away if a new hay bale meets his approval. Happy to pick up the leadership role if necessary, Smokey often chooses to lead by example, and his herdmates are sure to follow.
Gelding
11 years
Enzo
Enzo is a low-key guy with a thick blanket of fleece. He is best buddies with Smokey, and the two are nearly inseparable!
Gelding
11 years
Slider
Slider (aka “Scotchy”) is affectionately known as our guard paca. If another animal is on the loose, he’ll alert us, and the herd, with a loud, distinctive whinny!
Unproven
9 years
Rusty
Blind in one eye, with a stocky frame and emotive ears, Rusty is reserved and gentle, and a good companion to our yearling boys.
Gelding
12 years
Guard Llamas
Aside from alpacas, llamas are the only other domesticated camelid species native to the Andes. They form strong bonds with their herds as well as with humans, and are known for their calm, gentle, and expressive personalities. Larger than alpacas and highly alert and territorial, llamas make excellent guardians, integrating seamlessly with their herds and deterring predators.
Livestock Guardian Dogs
Great Pyrenees
Bred and trained from puppyhood to protect livestock, guardian dogs live and bond with their herd and deter predators. Great Pyrenees are known for their gentle, affectionate, highly intelligent and independent personalities. Like the animals they protect, they too are mountains of fluff!
Our Guardians
Tina (16 yrs) is fond of neck scratches, cozy bedded corners, and most of all, molasses-coated feed. She lives with the female alpacas and babysits the littles.
Petina
Zendaya
Zendaya (3 yrs) is a playful puppy stuffed into a 100-pound body of fluffy love who craves nothing more than affection.
Zeus
Zeus (3 yrs) is shy and would rather stay with his alpacas than hang out with humans, but he certainly won’t say no to a treat!
Icelandic Sheep
Isolated from other sheep breeds in their rugged island homeland, Icelandic sheep are one of the oldest and genetically purest sheep breeds in existence. Raised for dairy, wool, and meat, they are small and hardy, and evolved to thrive on sparse forage with limited hay or grain. They are shorn twice yearly and grow two coats of fleece with relatively low lanolin content. Þel (“thel”), the inner coat, is a fine 19-22 microns that grows to 2-4 inches between shearings. Tog, the outer coat, is a slightly coarser but lustrous 27-30 microns, and reaches a length of 6-8 inches. The two can be separated or spun together, yielding a soft and very strong yarn for which the breed is so prized.
