When Kahle wanted to spread some joy to her community, she enlisted the help of some very special friends…
Fastening up the gleaming gold corset, I carefully tied the ribbons in front. Then I reached down to puff up the matching net skirt.
‘Beautiful,’ I smiled, stepping back to admire the outfit. ‘You’ll be the Belle of the ball.’
Then I turned to the Beast and straightened his collar. He gave a satisfied grunt as I smoothed down his fur.
Anyone would have thought I was getting the actors ready for a pantomime. But I wasn’t.
Instead, I was dressing up my llamas, Apple Jack and Earl!
I’d loved llamas since I was little. So when my husband Andy and I took over my late uncle’s farm, I knew it wouldn’t be long before we bought our first furry friends.
We adopted Apple Jack and another llama called Ollie, and they soon settled into life on the farm.
In time, we adopted Earl too.
Earl was so easy-going and good-natured.
‘I wonder if he’ll let me dress him up,’ I said to Andy one day.
‘Dress him up?’ Andy asked, eyebrows raised.
‘Just with some pompoms and flowers,’ I replied.
After all, the people of South America had been dressing up llamas for centuries. It was a cultural tradition, signifying reverence and respect.
As I lovingly glued flowers and pompoms on to a harness, I had an idea.
Earl needs a unicorn horn, I thought. He’ll be the first ever llama-corn.
When it came time to dress him up, Earl was completely chilled. He stood there happy as Larry while I secured the unicorn headband.
‘Good boy,’ I said, giving him an affectionate pat. ‘You look magical.’
After that, every time I took out Earl’s flowery accessories, he’d happily trot over and wait patiently while I adorned him.
In time, we adopted more llamas, and Andy and I started offering treks at our farm. Visitors would have the opportunity to lead the llamas on hikes.
It was a big hit.
‘We should do a themed trek,’ I suggested in the lead-up to Halloween. ‘We could dress the llamas in crazy costumes and call it Llamaween.’
‘I love it!’ Andy said.
That first year, I dressed them up as mummies and pirates.
Taking their cue from Earl, the llamas stood still as statues while I gently wound mummy bandages around their bodies.
'This is the best day of my life!'
Then at Christmas, Earl paraded around the paddock dressed up as Elsa from the film Frozen.
I regularly posted photos of the llamas to social media. It felt good to spread happiness to people I’d never met.
Wanting more people to experience the joy these creatures brought, I started taking some of the llamas to schools, rehab facilities and nursing homes.
I must have looked quite a sight driving round in my minivan with a llama strapped into the back seat!
Entering one nursing home with Earl in tow, I saw the residents’ faces light up with wonder. It was the most fantastic feeling.
‘I’ve never seen a llama before,’ one gentleman beamed. ‘The grandkids won’t believe this!’
‘This is the best day of my life,’ an elderly lady added, eyes shining.
Back home on the farm, Andy and I started offering llama yoga sessions on top of the popular treks.
Visitors would practice yoga in the field while Earl and his pals wandered about, occasionally stopping to observe someone while adopting the cobra pose.
Soon, Andy and I had eight llamas and they all loved getting glammed up.
Their looks included Disney princesses, the Spice Girls, David Bowie and characters from films like Napoleon Dynamite and Labyrinth.
All of their costumes were human clothes that I altered to fit. I could often be found in the evenings up to my ears in Velcro, pins and glue.
Recently, I dressed Ollie as Wednesday Addams. He always looks a bit grumpy, so I knew it would be the perfect character for him.
Completing the look with Wednesday’s signature black plaits, I stood back and laughed. Ollie really had captured Wednesday’s disdainful look to a tee.
He was so popular, he amassed over nine million views on TikTok.
Now Andy and I have big plans for our farm, which naturally involve Earl and the gang.
We want to host movie nights where the llamas dress up as characters from the film. We’re also hoping to offer different immersive experiences and camps.
In the meantime, I’ll continue to create wild, wacky outfits for our farm’s popular residents.
I know Earl and his mates will continue to sprinkle some magic — and a bit of llama drama —wherever they go.
Kahle Boutte, 37
*Follow Kahle’s furry friends on TikTok @prairiepatchfarm