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Loveable llamas bring lasting cheer

Lovable llama visiting with residents in Clinton Maine

For nearly 10 years, Gail and Dave Smith have used their pet llamas to bring smiles to the faces of young and old in and near their hometown of Sidney, Maine.  The couple makes an average of 25 visits each year to veterans' homes, nursing facilities, Alzheimer units, schools, and churches, including monthly visits to Maine Veterans' Home and Winthrop Manor Long-term Care and Rehab Center.

Dave came upon the idea while researching llamas on the internet, "I just kept seeing people with them inside nursing homes."  Llamas Staccato, 13, and Christy, 18, make most of the visits while three other llamas eagerly greet guests on the Smiths' property. 

The llamas first outing was to Pine Tree Camp for children and adults with disabilities.  After that, the opportunities snowballed. "For the first few years, it was a little bit difficult to get the llamas in through the door," he admits.  Now Gail and Dave, both 71, have trained the llamas to not only walk in the door, but to navigate fairly tight spaces in order to make bedside visits.

Dave Smith with llamas Stucky and Christy.

Winthrop Manor Activities Coordinator Kay Frost says of the Smiths, "They bring so much love and caring to the residents.  We are blessed to have them and other wonderful volunteers.  Places like this couldn't function with people like them."

Gail says, "We always bring carrots (for the residents to feed to the llamas). Then we tell them they can pet the llama anywhere but their face.  Some of them will put their arms right around their necks and hug them."

"Yesterday, we had one small lady with her walker who came right out. She was so happy to see both the llamas.  Another lady who had been kind of ill said, 'Oh, you've made my day, I feel so much better now.'  That's why we like to go to Winthrop Manor, we have several ladies there that look forward to seeing the llamas.  They call them their angels.  A couple of them have been them for a while, and they say, 'Thanks for coming again, and we'll see you next month.'  It's worth it when you can get a smile like that from the residents.  They don't have that much going on during the day. We make a big change for them," says Gail explaining that it gives them something to talk about with visitors and each other.