No Llama Drama by Bea Tifton

I am filling in for the lovely and talented Caroline Clemmons. 

Do you incorporate animals into your stories? Do your characters have pets? In real life and in books, I like people best when they love animals. And do your characters have some animal apart from their pets that they just love? I adore my cats and my dogs, but I also absolutely love llamas. 

One year for my birthday a good friend and I went to a llama ranch. The llamas are trained to interact with people and they are very well taken care of. There were several options for activities, but we chose the lecture and the meet and greet. The owner gave a llama lecture in the barn. Did you know llamas can run up to 35 miles an hour? They are often used as guard animals because they will chase off predators like coyotes. And like their cousins the camels, they spit when they are annoyed. If the ears go back, the lecturer warned, you go back. They have had enough and they are about to let 'er rip. 

After the lecture, we were allowed to play with the llamas and take selfies They all have funny names like Banana Llama and Dolly Llama. None of the llamas spit on anyone. It was one of the best birthday trips I've taken.

One year the daughter of one of my closest friends at the time got married. The wedding was held in a lovely outdoor venue in the middle of nowhere. I was considered family, so I stayed close to the mother of the bride and tried to keep her from having a nervous breakdown. We were standing there chatting when she yelled, "Oh my God, where are the llamas? We paid extra for the llamas." She was almost hysterical, so I assured her I would find out. I was circling the reception hall looking for someone who worked there when I spotted the manager. I was running after him (in my dress and very uncomfortable shoes) when he began running. In the distance, I could see a rogue llama jumping over a ditch. He led a merry chase, but the manager finally managed to grab him. Another male llama and a female llama briefly attended the wedding, moving among the guests before the ceremony started. Even for a llama lover like me, it was a bit surreal. Fun, but surreal. 

I live in one of the fastest growing cities in the country, and, while I have a decent sized yard, we're not zoned for llamas. I have fantasies of moving out to the country and getting a couple just to have them, but I know I won't actually do that. But it's fun to play with them whenever I see them. 

Do you have an animal that you particularly like?