You can talk to the animals

STANWOOD — The Boehmers wanted their young daughters to do something different this weekend.

John and Jaime Boehmer, both 31, of Burlington, brought Emma, 6, and Sophia, 4, to visit a local alpaca farm on Saturday afternoon as part of the National Alpaca Farm Days weekend.

The family heard about the event from John Boehmer’s parents, who live on Camano Island. Alpaca farmers all over the country have opened their doors this weekend to give people an opportunity to learn about the animals.

At the farm near Silvana, Ruthann McVicker took her curious visitors around the farm, sharing her knowledge about alpacas. The Boehmers were surprised to learn that the animals have only two toes. They marveled at the touch of the animals’ soft coats.

“It’s a really enriching experience,” Jaime Boehmer said. “Maybe there’s something we can learn from these creatures.”

Alpacas greeted their guests sniffing the air curiously, munching on their hay snacks. Babies clung to their mothers.

Marilyn Stone of Stanwood was taking pictures. Stone, who is retired, was on her way home from a grocery store when she saw a sign advertising the event. She was glad she made it out.

“I’m learning a lot,” she said.

Stone peppered Alise Schmitt with questions. Schmitt, of Marysville, helps McVicker run the farm, where her Alpacas also live. Stone followed her guide into a barn, where alpaca products were displayed. Stone ran her fingers through strands of fleece, spilling out of large bags set on a table for visitors to see. She liked how clean and soft it felt.

Alpacas have been raised in the states for the past 25 years. They are typically shorn in the spring, each yielding 5 to 12 pounds of fleece.

Between the two of them, McVicker and Schmitt have some 56 alpacas on the farm. They grow the animals for fleece and offer breeding services. Alpacas became popular in Washington, Schmitt said. The state boasts the second largest number of alpacas in the country.

Schmitt and her husband got hooked on the animals in 2000. The two are building a retirement business. But it’s more than just business; it’s a lifestyle, Schmitt said. People who decide to get alpacas usually are looking for a kind of peaceful, low-key existence.

“They learn quickly. It’s very rewarding to train them,” she said of the animals.

Schmitt’s skills as a nurse transfer well to working with the animals and nurturing them.

McVicker and her husband first purchased alpacas in 2002, after retiring from their jobs in the telecommunications field. McVicker has been taking comfort in her animals since her husband died in 2005.

Since she’s been living on the farm, McVicker’s vicious migraines disappeared.

“These animals are so soothing,” she said. “It’s a whole different lifestyle.”

Katya Yefimova: 425-339-3452, kyefimova@heraldnet.com.

Talk to us

> Give us your news tips.

> Send us a letter to the editor.

> More Herald contact information.

More in Local News

A firefighter stands in silence before a panel bearing the names of L. John Regelbrugge and Kris Regelbrugge during the ten-year remembrance of the Oso landslide on Friday, March 22, 2024, at the Oso Landslide Memorial in Oso, Washington. (Ryan Berry / The Herald)
‘Flood of emotions’ as Oso Landslide Memorial opens on 10th anniversary

Friends, family and first responders held a moment of silence at 10:37 a.m. at the new 2-acre memorial off Highway 530.

Julie Petersen poses for a photo with images of her sister Christina Jefferds and Jefferds’ grand daughter Sanoah Violet Huestis next to a memorial for Sanoah at her home on March 20, 2024 in Arlington, Washington. Peterson wears her sister’s favorite color and one of her bangles. (Annie Barker / The Herald)
‘It just all came down’: An oral history of the Oso mudslide

Ten years later, The Daily Herald spoke with dozens of people — first responders, family, survivors — touched by the deadliest slide in U.S. history.

Victims of the Oso mudslide on March 22, 2014. (Courtesy photos)
Remembering the 43 lives lost in the Oso mudslide

The slide wiped out a neighborhood along Highway 530 in 2014. “Even though you feel like you’re alone in your grief, you’re really not.”

Director Lucia Schmit, right, and Deputy Director Dara Salmon inside the Snohomish County Department of Emergency Management on Friday, March 8, 2024, in Everett, Washington. (Ryan Berry / The Herald)
How Oso slide changed local emergency response ‘on virtually every level’

“In a decade, we have just really, really advanced,” through hard-earned lessons applied to the pandemic, floods and opioids.

Ron and Gail Thompson at their home on Monday, March 4, 2024 in Oso, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
In shadow of scarred Oso hillside, mudslide’s wounds still feel fresh

Locals reflected on living with grief and finding meaning in the wake of a catastrophe “nothing like you can ever imagine” in 2014.

Rep. Suzan DelBene, left, introduces Xichitl Torres Small, center, Undersecretary for Rural Development with the U.S. Department of Agriculture during a talk at Thomas Family Farms on Monday, April 3, 2023, in Snohomish, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Under new federal program, Washingtonians can file taxes for free

At a press conference Wednesday, U.S. Rep. Suzan DelBene called the Direct File program safe, easy and secure.

Former Snohomish County sheriff’s deputy Jeremie Zeller appears in court for sentencing on multiple counts of misdemeanor theft Wednesday, March 27, 2024, at Snohomish County Superior Court in Everett, Washington. (Ryan Berry / The Herald)
Ex-sheriff’s deputy sentenced to 1 week of jail time for hardware theft

Jeremie Zeller, 47, stole merchandise from Home Depot in south Everett, where he worked overtime as a security guard.

Everett
11 months later, Lake Stevens man charged in fatal Casino Road shooting

Malik Fulson is accused of shooting Joseph Haderlie to death in the parking lot at the Crystal Springs Apartments last April.

T.J. Peters testifies during the murder trial of Alan Dean at the Snohomish County Courthouse on Tuesday, March 26, 2024 in Everett, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Bothell cold case trial now in jury’s hands

In court this week, the ex-boyfriend of Melissa Lee denied any role in her death. The defendant, Alan Dean, didn’t testify.

A speed camera facing west along 220th Street Southwest on Tuesday, Nov. 21, 2023 in Edmonds, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
New Washington law will allow traffic cams on more city, county roads

The move, led by a Snohomish County Democrat, comes as roadway deaths in the state have hit historic highs.

Mrs. Hildenbrand runs through a spelling exercise with her first grade class on the classroom’s Boxlight interactive display board funded by a pervious tech levy on Tuesday, March 19, 2024 in Marysville, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Lakewood School District’s new levy pitch: This time, it won’t raise taxes

After two levies failed, the district went back to the drawing board, with one levy that would increase taxes and another that would not.

Alex Hanson looks over sections of the Herald and sets the ink on Wednesday, March 30, 2022 in Everett, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Black Press, publisher of Everett’s Daily Herald, is sold

The new owners include two Canadian private investment firms and a media company based in the southern United States.

Support local journalism

If you value local news, make a gift now to support the trusted journalism you get in The Daily Herald. Donations processed in this system are not tax deductible.