Before we started doing this, we didn’tknow ‘givers of joy’ could be a real job!
—SHANNONJOY ANDLORIGREGORYOn a typical work day, Shannon
and Lori travel with one or two of
the llamas and/or alpacas. They’ll
drive up to 40 minutes away to
do their therapy work, with visits
lasting one to two hours. “The
animals can actually go much
longer, but we like to ensure happy
animals, so we don’t test their
stress limits,” Shannon informs AT.
In 2018,thesecutecreaturesand memory care centers for
the elderly. They also visited
50 youth programs, including
specialty-placement schools for
kids, day camps for educational
presentations and special-needs
groups for people of all abilities.
So how does a typical visit
go? “In elderly communities, we
encourage folks to come out of
theirroomsandsocializein a
communitysetting,”Shannon
shares.“We thentakeouranimals
forroom-to-roomvisits.”Theylet
peoplehand-feedtheiranimals
andtry“carrotkisses,”whichis
whena personplacesa carrot
sliceintohisorhermouthforthe
animaltotakeout.Accordingto
Shannon, it’s very therapeutic
since it involves putting a lot oftrust in the animal and stepping
outside one’s comfort zone.MAKING A DIFFERENCE
Shannon and Lori are always
happy to see how much people
appreciate meeting their animals.
“Many people get overwhelmingly
excited that meeting a llama or
alpaca is really happening to
them,” Shannon tells us. “Peoplewe visit often feel very relaxed and
joyous.” In fact, lots of people cry
because they are so touched by
the kindness they receive from
these animals!
Shannon remembers one time
at a fundraiser for cerebral palsy,
there was a young boy who was
laughing and smiling while petting
Rojo. Behind him, she saw his
parents were crying. “The little
boy’s father came over to me
toletmeknowthatin thepast,
pettinga dogora cathadcaused
hissontocry,”Shannonrecalls.
Butthischilddidn’tfeelthatway
aboutRojo—heevengavethe
llamaa hug.Memorieslikethat
remindShannonhowimportant
herworkis.“Toseetheeffectour
animalshaveis sorewarding,”
she smiles. “Our animals are
heroes to us!”“We find dressing
draws folks out of up our animals
their rooms and
makes them feel
safe,” Shannon
explains.