Warm and Fuzzy About the Alpaca Way of Life by Penelope Deese

 An IBM employee and a psychologist left the city behind for farm life with kids

this article was originally published in the Mobile Register on November 25, 2003.

The Spears' Fairhope backyard, full of furry alpacas and pasture fences, seems almost another world from their previous Fort Lauderdale, FL home - but that's just what they intended.

Katy and Steve Spears decided several years ago they wanted to move to the country and change their pace of life. A friend suggested they buy a few alpacas and try their hand at raising the animals, natives of South America and cousins of the llama.

Three years later, the Spears welcomed the public to their farm for the first time. The family held an open house on Saturday and greeted a constant stream of curious visitors, introducing them to many of their 39 alpacas.

One of the visitors was Fairhope resident Joyce Becker, a novice spinner, who said she had come to the farm to see what the animals' fleece looked like, and was impressed with the wide variety of hues. "Someone said, 'Oh, the alpacas, you should give them a try sometime," Becker said as a light-colored alpaca named Oprah dug feed out of a cup in her hand. "To me, it's the variety of colors. A sheep is a sheep is a sheep."

According to Katy Spears, there are at least 22 natural colors of alpacas, and the fleece can also be dyed. The Spears' herd is sheared once a year - usually in April - by a professional from Australia, she said.

Financially, the farm has worked well for the family. Steve left a job with IBM to pursue the trade, and Katy works on the farm in lieu of practicing clinical psychology. When given the option of raising alpacas or pursuing their other careers, Katy Spears said, the choice wasn't hard. She wanted to work from home, and planned to practice psychology from her house, but found a better option. "The alpacas kind of beat that out," she said.

Each of the Spears' 39 alpacas are named, many of them chosen by the Spears' six-year-old daughter, Evangeline. As Katy Spears walked through the farm Saturday, she called nearly every animal by its name, impressing her guests with how she could both remember the names and tell them apart.

"They are just like babies to me," she said.

The nature of raising alpacas also allows Katy Spears the luxury of becoming attached to each animal. She said she and her husband enjoy this particular breed of livestock because there is no killing involved to make a profit. The annual shearing does not hurt the animals, and the hearty animals rarely have health problems.

Then there's the alpacas' tempers. With four young children - a 6-year-old, a 2-year-old and 11-month-old twins - the Spears needed an animal that was docile, and Katy Spears said the alpaca fits the bill perfectly.

"They're very gentle and easy to handle," she said. Throughout the day, the animals would eagerly walk up to guests holding feed, but never became aggressive.

"That's the fun thing, too, that the kids get to be out here with us," Steve Spears said.

The farm has not been without its challenges. Katy Spears said the greatest threat to the alpacas is the summer heat, which prompts the family to bring out large fans to keep the animals cool.

The Spears' success in the field has inspired others. Debbie Moore of Holt, FL became friends with the family when she and her husband got interested in buying an alpaca. Since then, Moore has attended several workshops organized by Katy Spears and now is getting her pasture ready to bring one home.

"Oh, they're just so cute. We were looking for something and we'd been looking at llamas for a long time," Moore said. "There are just so many ways you can go about it - you can get huge or stay small."

On Saturday, Steve Spears walked through his well-manicured farm, baby in one arm and pointing out animals to guests with the other. For him, business and life have merged happily, he said. "I was the skeptic at first....Now I just wish we had done it a lot earlier," he said. "It's a huge change...I feel like I'm going to live longer."

For more information about the Spears farm, or to schedule a visit, contact them at (251)929-2688 or visit their website at www.fairhopealpacas.com