Sask. veterinarian recruits chatty sheep to be blind llama's bestie

Laura crackling wasn't trusted what to wait when she position a call in out on social media searching for a friendly, docile ewe in Saskatchewan. 

She wasn’t looking for a breeding ewe. She wanted a friend and companion for her “beloved newly-blind llama.”

Greaves is no stranger to caring for animals with special needs. The equine veterinarian has cared for creatures with all sorts of disabilities.

But Maple the llama was a unique challenge that required some special help.

That help came in the form of Peeps (short for Bo Peep), a friendly and rather chatty sheep from Eyebrow, Sask.

"The producer thought [she] would be a good match for Maple because she calls on a random basis. Even when she was with her herd of sheep, she was very vocal and would baaah all the time," Greaves said.

Greaves found Maple when she was searching for a guardian llama to protect her other animals from nuisance coyotes.

Jacquie Poole, a friend of Greaves, saw an online ad listing a six-year-old llama who was blind in one eye.

Poole felt like Maple was the right fit. She and Greaves bonded while caring for a horse of Poole's. It eventually had to be put down, but the two bonded over their passion for helping animals in need.

Poole knew they were up to the job of retrieving Maple.

“Something in my heart [was] telling me this is the way we need to go,” she said. 

Greaves and Poole drove to Alberta, a nearly-17 hour round trip, to pick up Maple. What they found was a thin llama with broken teeth. They realized the photos they’d seen hadn’t given the full picture.

Greaves knew she needed to take care of Maple.

"We still decided that she needed us. And I think we also needed her," Greaves said.

Maple’s new home on Greaves's acreage just southeast of Regina had her sharing a pasture with another llama and two alpacas.

As Maple was settling in, her good eye began to show signs of a problem. The eye had anterior lens luxation, which is a "severe veterinary emergency," according to Greaves.

They weren't able to treat the condition, so she decided to remove both of the llama's eyes.

"It's a very painful condition, and we figured that her left eye was also painful, which might contribute to why she was so skinny."

The surgery took four veterinarians, a technician and a vet student to pull off. They were prepared for the worst, given Maple's low weight, pain and anxiety, but the procedure went well.

Maple’s ability to adjust was a whole different issue. Llama’s do not have a great sense of smell, so losing another sense completely was challenging for Maple. She went from having a bit of light in her vision, to living in total darkness.

Greaves would use sound cues, like wind chimes and bells, and keywords to guide the llama around her pasture. But Maple struggled to find water, food and shelter.

"When the rest of the herd would leave, Maple would get very anxious and she'd circle repeatedly, which was both hard for us to see and really difficult for her, especially when she'd run into fences and buildings.”

The other animals would often spit at Maple and push her around, not uncommon for camelids. This behaviour only made Maple even more anxious.

Greaves decided to move her to a smaller paddock and started her search for a companion a little more Maple's speed.

She posted online looking for suggestions. The response was immediate and overwhelming.

Blind llama gets sheep bestie to fend off loneliness

People from all around Saskatchewan and as far as B.C. Offered potential friends for the llama.

"I think that it just speaks to the rural Saskatchewan community," Poole said. "If someone needs help, you do it."

Llamas are herd animals. While they tend to do better with their own species, Greaves figured what she really needed was, "a friend that would keep her company but not hurt her, cause her any extra stress." 

Peeps proved to be the perfect candidate.

Peeps caused some trouble at her original home, as the ewe was a notorious escape artist. Greaves’s acreage offered a much more ideal space for the sheep.

Peeps was also a very vocal flock-member. That was a great match for the blind llama, who heavily relies on sound to get around.

Maple can follow Peeps’s voice to find her way around her pasture, and find food and water.

Their relationship is still in earlier stages, but Greaves says it looks promising. The two are becoming an unlikely dynamic duo around the farm, finding comfort with each other in their new environment.

Greaves said Maple was recently stressed by the sounds of a lawnmower. Peeps was also bothered by the noise and ran to Maple for comfort, which then calmed Maple down.

"We're hoping that maybe we can get more events like that, where Peeps can be Maple's sense of comfort when she can't see," Greaves said, "She's going to rely on her little seeing-eye sheep." 

Greaves said the long-term goal is to have Peeps and Maple in the field with the other camelids. 

"But for now, we're going to keep them separate and let them just be a little duo."

Reporter/Editor

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