Llonely Llama Lluckily Lled Llower by Lloving Llady

You hear about lost dogs and cats all the time, see flyers posted around town with a picture and a phone number, begging anyone with information to bring Fido home. But what happens when a lost pet has no one looking for it? And what if that pet is a llama? Meet Homer, the llama who's had one heck of an "odyssey" in Colorado (witty, no)? It turns out that this llama has been wandering around Pike's Peak for over a month, living off the local vegetation and trying to make friends like bighorn sheep. But the folks who spotted this little guy worried that he might be attacked by mountain lions, coyotes or succumb to the upcoming winter. Lucky for him, a nice lady, her friend and their llamas went looking for Homer, who happily joined their little group and left the mountainside.

While this may seem like a fluffy feel good story, it actually highlights a little know and often ignored problem in our society. Every year, thousands of animals are discarded by their owners, most commonly because their owners do not know how to properly care for them and become overwhelmed. Go to any animal shelter and see the adorable kittens that grew up to be not-so-cute cats, the puppies that grew into much-too-big mutts, and the bunnies that graced Easter baskets and now just take up space. And these smaller animals are not the only victims. In rural areas (parts of Texas and New York State in particular come to mine) there is an epidemic of livestock abandonment. Horses are turned out to pasture and ignored, cows left in barn stalls with ankle deep manure, and sheep and llamas left to fend for themselves. Sheep and llamas are increasingly in this predicament, as their wool is highly prized for yarn (as a knitter, I can tell you good yarn is not cheap). Inexperienced owners buy these animals looking to make a quick profit, and quickly realize they are in for more than they bargained for.

When people take on any animal without understanding its needs that animal is doomed to suffer, and without people intervening on the animals' behalves, many will die from neglect. This doesn't have to happen. Before you adopt or buy any kind of pet, research it, find out what it needs to live a healthy life, and find out what kind of care it will need over its lifespan. Understand that you are taking on a life to care for; you would take a sick child to the doctor, why is your pet any different?

But Homer is one of the lucky ones. Not only did some very dedicated people search for him, they are working to find him a loving forever home. Now that is a happy ending.

For more on Homer the llama, follow this link: http://www.optimum.net/News/AP/Article?articleId=619278&categoryId=66

For more on animal rescue, click here: http://www.aspca.org/

And as for the title of this post…I had to do it. As corny as it is, it had to happen. Sorry.