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I've been
involved with llamas
since 1988, when I
purchased my first
(and ONLY, I
thought!) two llamas
to use as packers.
In 1990, after
extensively studying
and embracing the
gentler philosophy
of llama care and
training exemplified
by the TTEAM method,
I began helping to
educate people in
the handling of
llamas and alpacas,
and the animals in
accepting handling
and training.
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I've been a professional
dancer, office manager for a
marina, trust officer at a bank,
administrative assistant in the
design division of a major hotel
chain, manager of a health food
store, and owner of a
house-keeping business... just
to name a few pursuits.
My present careers are
the best of all worlds - days
training and handling llamas and
helping their people to
understand them, and evenings
teaching Classical Ballet,
Modern Dance and Musical Theater
Jazz to students ranging in age
from 8 to 60. Through all my
life the constants have been
animals and dance.
Most recently I am
honored to have begun assisting
long-time friend, Cathy Spalding
in some of her
Gentle Spirit Training Clinics.
Every time I'm involved in
sessions with Cathy and new (to
me) llamas, I learn some new and
valuable lesson. Working with
these wonderful animals and the
people who strive to understand
them is a never-ending
educational experience. I also
offer private farm work in
training, shearing, toenail
trimming, grooming and other
herd management tasks. All my
proceeds, after expenses, are
donated to StillPointe.
Having done work as a
therapy assistant with children
and adults in periods of
emotional challenge, and at much
the same time witnessing a rise
in the number of llamas who were
experiencing less than adequate
care, an idea for an
organization that combined the
helping of llamas in need and of
children and adults in need of
emotional rest began to take
shape for me. StillPointe is
that idea coming to fruition.
The name, StillPointe, is
derived from the term, The Still
Point, as used in Buddhist
thought to name "That place
within all sentient beings where
struggle ends and peace resides.
A calm acceptance of life, one
day at a time."
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I am the
happy mother of
three boys, two
dogs, one cat and
six female llamas.
I've been married to
my best friend, Pat,
for 23 years. I'm a
teacher and also
enjoy quilting,
sewing, skiing and
hiking in my spare
time. We own a small
spread near Poulsbo,
Washington.
We adopted
several llamas from
a couple who had to
disperse their herd,
and contacted Chela
for help with
training and herd
management. Then we
became interested in
helping with
StillPointe. We are
planning to use
several of our
llamas for
backpacking sometime
in the near future.
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I fell in
love with llamas in
the late 1980's. I
purchased a small
farm in Poulsbo,
Washington and
bought my first five
llamas in May of
1993. After breeding
for several years,
showing the llamas
for fun and just
generally enjoying
their beauty and
companionship, I
decided to stop
breeding and keep
the five girls, two
geldings and my
gorgeous stud,
Angelo.
Now that
their "working
lives" are over,
they hang out in my
pasture and eat.
Angelo and the
geldings make
occasional forays to
community events,
StillPointe
activities, and
walks in the local
park. |
I met Chela at a llama
show shortly after I purchased
my llamas; she lived only a mile
down the road and we quickly
became friends. Besides being my
llama friend, another thing we
have in common is dance; she is
my ballet teacher. I have danced
for twenty years and it is my
second passion after llamas. I
also own and adore two kittens.
To support my three loves
(llamas, kittens and dancing), I
work as a Dental Hygienist.
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Uta Kramer
I spent much
of my childhood in
Germany on a farm,
which is where I
developed my early
love of animals. Due
to "city living" as
an adult, I had to
be content with
owning just cats and
dogs for most of my
life. That changed
when I moved out to
the Pacific
Northwest, where
space is more
plentiful and the
variety of animals
is greater. My first
face-to-face
encounter with a
llama was at the
Puyallup Fair in
1994, and I was
fascinated with
their soft eyes and
long lashes.
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A month after that, I was
fortunate to meet Chela Grey,
who was working on a llama farm
in Bremerton at the time. She
took me on right away as an
enthusiastic volunteer, and I've
been happily helping and
learning about llamas ever
since. I love working with them,
seeing their different
personalities; I love the feel
of their wool and the smell of
their llama breath!
I got my first very
own llama about a year after I
started helping Chela. I had
been home to Germany for a not
very pleasant visit, and upon my
return went to see Chela and the
llamas. There was the cutest
little baby boy llama I had ever
seen! He was dark brown with a
white wooly "diamond" on his
forehead - it was love at first
sight and I was hooked! His name
was Diamond Jack. I had the joy
of his company for six years. I
am sad to say that he went over
the Rainbow Bridge in November
of 2003, a victim of fatty liver
disease. I have his brother, Khursaani and three foster
rescue llamas to soothe the
loss, but it was devastating
nonetheless.
My husband, Kim, and I
also have three dogs and two
cats. I volunteer regularly with
the Kitsap Humane Society,
helping with dog temperament
testing and training, making
visits to retirement homes with
puppies and kittens, and
fostering kittens when there is
an "overflow" at the Humane
Society. I will continue to work
with StillPointe. When I visited
the farm in the summer, I was
amazed at the number of llamas
there – 25 at that time. They
all looked healthy, happy, shorn
and nails trimmed; all this
under the care of just one woman
who cares for them with all her
heart, her bare hands and mostly
her own money. I greatly admire
Chela's efforts to rescue and
care for llamas who need help.
Nothing is more rewarding than
to be part of an effort that
ultimately provides a loving
home for these wonderful
animals.
OTHER ACTIVE VOLUNTEERS
Michelle Hunter - 4H Rabbit
Expert, Poulsbo, WA
Mark Kuehn - The Chai Guy
Corporation, Bremerton and
Seattle, WA
Carolyn Willis - Creative Force,
Key Peninsula, WA
Joyce and David Williamson -
Foster Care, Sequim, WA
Kit Nieman - Foster Care Kit's
Llamas, Olalla, WA
Jim and Ann Sund - Foster care -
Poulsbo, WA
BEHIND-THE-SCENES ANGELS
Gary and Chloe Kaufman - Roads
End Llamas, Olympia, WA
Kelly McWhorter - Shearer
Extraordinaire, Olympia, WA
Kristin Roy - Country Living 4H
Leader
Don and Loreen McMurphy - Port
Angeles, WA
StillPointe Sanctuary
currently has direct
responsibility for 23 llamas.
Most of them are in residence on
the rental farm where I live in
Sequim, Washington. The rest are
fostered out at various farms
who are donating their space. I
also have an additional seven
who are my "family" and are kind
enough to put up with my
bringing in all these strangers!
Other animals
currently sharing life on the
farm are an alpaca named Cody,
two cats (Miss Kitty and Razzle
Dazzle), and two dogs, Sophie
(an eight year old Standard
Poodle) and Quidditch (a two
year old Border
Collie/Sheltie/Coyote (?) mix).
The newest additions are two
Runner Ducks (Roger and Rosie),
two hens (Josephine and Arianna)
and their proud rooster
(Napoleon). All of them except
Cody are rescue animals. And yet
with all this population, it
seems that whenever the need
arises, there is room for one
more! Many people ask what I
"do" with all those animals - my
first answer is always, "I love
them."
StillPointe currently
fulfills a part of its
educational mission by helping
with 4H members and their
llamas, occasionally providing
an animal for use in 4H;
inviting groups of children to
visit the farm; and taking
llamas and/or our alpaca out to
rest homes and to community
events.
In October we host an
Alternative Livestock Fair as an
annual event. We started it in
2003 and have had wonderful
results! Our main goal with the
Fair is to help educate the
public not only about llamas,
but also other "unique" animals
who are viable and useful as
companions, fiber producers,
pack animals, therapy assistants
in other words, non-meat uses.
It is also a fundraising source.
See our Events
and News Pages for
further details.
Please visit our site
often. We'd also like you to
visit in person – just call or
email to coordinate a time.
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