Therapy Llamas

I’m Lacy Gray with Washington Ag Today.

JNK Llama Farm owner, Niki Kuklenski, has been a successful llama owner and trainer for over thirty years who also happens to offer visits from registered therapy llamas to various facilities. Kuklenski explains.

KUKLENSKI: I have two Delta Society registered therapy llamas that I take around to various places and they actually go inside and I take them one at a time - I don’t take them at the same time. And they go in the rooms and they visit with residents that can’t get out of bed and they’ll give them kisses.

Kuklenski says the fact that these are full sized llamas does not pose a problem and that her therapy llamas are actually quite well behaved.

KUKLENSKI: They can back and move around the equipment. It’s a lot of fun. Llamas are kind of misunderstood in general. People always assume that they spit, and alpacas too for that matter, because of all the things that they see on television.

Kuklenski says the therapy llamas are very popular on the local circuit and have done animal therapy at various rest homes, Camp Korey a member of the Paul Newman “Hole in the Wall” camps, and even Barnes & Noble. Her therapy llamas have also received international recognition, having been featured in the Italian magazine COLORS in the spring of 2012.

For more information on the JNK Llama Farm and their therapy llamas be sure to visit them on their Facebook page.

That’s Washington Ag Today.

I’m Lacy Gray on the Ag Information Network.