My first steps

The small llama lies near its mother on the hard dirt of the coral, its white legs drawn in, tucked underneath its small body. The long narrow face resting gently on the ground with its eyes all but closed.

Birth can be a tiring experience no matter how many legs you walk on. Yet, at Sandy’s Miniatures, an animal farm in Plains, it is as common and expected as the change in seasons. This year alone the petting zoo has had six baby horses, three baby llamas and next year it will be expecting its first collection of baby donkeys.

The petting zoo’s newest member is Inka, a Bolivian llama that was born at 7:30 a.m. last Wednesday. Owner Sandy King was there to watch the baby llama take its very first steps only a few hours after its birth. King has been running her petting zoo since 1980 when she first started taking animals in to occupy her time while she took care of her late husband Russell King while he battled multiple sclerosis.

Since then she’s only been adding to her collection of animals and takes pride in her petting zoo’s unique breed specialty: its collection of miniature horses.

“Once I brought home my first miniature horse I was hooked,” King said. She explained they are great pets and easier for her to manage than larger horses.

That isn’t to say that the animals don’t require a dedicated effort to take care of them. King said that it takes her about four hours or more each day to do all the of the chores and maintenance for the animals.

“I guess the challenging thing would probably be in the winter and getting up in the morning whether it’s blizzarding or raining and taking care of them,” King said. “The animals have needs just like people every single day.”

King said that, while the work isn’t easy, it is very rewarding, especially when she’s able to watch her three-year-old grandson come out and ride some of her miniature horses. She added that another benefit to the work is the simple activity it gives her.

“It’s good for me, it gives me good exercise,” she said.

This past summer she said that at times there have been lines of cars that have pulled up to pet the small miniature donkeys and her other animals that include chickens, rabbits, peacocks, dogs and cats. King said that her variety of animals all interact well with each other and she’s never seen any problems between them.

“I guess my motto is if you don’t get along together you can’t live here,” King said.

She said that anyone who’d like to come and visit her is welcome to do so. Sandy’s Miniatures is located on the corner of Washington Avenue West and Combest Avenue in Plains.