After a tumor removal procedure, Linda and Ed elected to take Bodhi off of chemotherapy in favor of alternative strategies. They put him on a simple recovery plan: a healthy probiotic-rich diet, a stress-free environment and a whole lot of love. Within months, Bodhi’s symptoms subsided, his energy returned and a year later was sitting next to Theresa and I trying to figure out if he could score a scratch behind the ears AND a piece of my banana. You know, dog things.

We heard about her job selling copiers when she first moved to the Salt Lake City area from Chicago. We heard about how she was actually pretty damn good at it. “I was pretty damn good at,” she told us. We heard about how her initial exposure to the world of alpacas from an in-flight magazine advertisement quickly evolved into a curiosity, and soon after a calling.

We heard about her lifelong passion for animals. As my Mom remembers, “she always wanted that Snow White moment where she’s surrounded by the forest animals.”

We heard about her humble beginnings back in the early 2000s, eager to learn as much as possible from what she discovered was a thriving industry all around her. She bought a few alpacas, housed at other ranches, began to learn the ins and outs of shearing, developing and selling their fleece. She kept working and learning, working and learning until she was ready to take the plunge. Their first ranch property was modest but very effective, nestled in the hills overlooking the twinkling lights of downtown Salt Lake City. Over 15 years, a couple hundred alpacas, about a dozen dogs and thousands of hay barrels later, she’s living the dream.