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Therapy llamas being forced to leave Fallbrook

When Shanna Daley created The Laughing Llama it was a way to help rescued llamas and her family. Her 1.4-acre property is home to three llamas and two alpacas that serve as a therapeutic diversion to many, including Daley's 82-year-old grandmother who suffers from Alzheimer's. Now San Diego County is demanding the facility cease operation by May 15 and that Daley remove most of her animals.

Daley chose to purchase a property in Fallbrook because of its beauty and enough land to accommodate the animals. She called the county before she rescued the animals and invested money into the property to make sure she could house them, and she was told that what she was planning to do was allowed on this property.

"When I called the county in July of 2020 to find out if the business was possible, the zoning department told me that Fallbrook required no permit and no business license," she said. "They are the ones that told me after I explained the business I planned to open that I was zoned agricultural, and it was legal and no other paperwork was required. Fallbrook follows the San Diego County zoning guidelines, so I did not look into it any further."

Daley's grandmother, Carole Ward, received an onset of dementia diagnosis in December 2019 and was diagnosed with Alzheimer's in May 2020. At the time, Daley was living in Oceanside and when COVID-19 came along, she was the only one in the family left with a job that was not affected by the pandemic. She convinced her parents to relocate to California with Ward so they could all share in her round-the-clock caregiving.

"Her illness was taking a toll on everyone in the house, and I was researching ways we could help her feel less anxiety in her confused moments to deescalate the aggression that would come with it," Daley said. "I found these wondrous animals and started reading all about llamas' sixth sense to mental stress and how they just calmed the whole nervous system. It's been proven that blood pressure was reduced after spending time with these animals. I realized this would not only help her but the rest of us that were struggling to cope, living with a person who has this disease. People come here and experience pure joy and happiness. We are honestly helping people."

Daley was shocked when she was recently contacted by an inspector from the county's zoning department who gave her two options: to apply for an administrative permit for animal raising or apply for a major use permit. Neither one is doable right now.

"The fine print on the administrative permit states the animals cannot be used to create profit on the grounds; you must do everything for free and for educational purposes in order to receive that permit," she said. "The expensive major use permit requires a $12,000 deposit and can take anywhere from one to two years to receive and would be hard to obtain. I would also have to close the business down during the process. If there are other options, the zoning department and the people working this specific case have not brought it to my attention."

She said the zoning department is classifying her four baby Nigerian dwarf goats as large animals even though they won't exceed 50 pounds when they are full grown, which adds to the violation they are claiming. In the past week, Daley received a compliance notice from the county stating The Laughing Llama is categorized as "Participant Sports and Recreation-Outdoor per SCDZO Section 1505b."

It also offered her only the option of securing a Major Use Permit which the letter states usually costs about $185,000 in processing fees. It also offered no guarantee it would be approved.

"I was told I would have to give up six of my animals to be compliant to zoning for this specific area," Daley said. "My animals fit comfortably and happily on my property, the grounds are immaculate, and they have zero negative impact on the neighborhood or neighbors."

Daley works 14 hours a day, seven days a week at two jobs to manage the household and its financial shortcomings.

"This business was to produce the small income I was coming up short in helping my parents be able to stay home and care for my grandma," she said. "We've only been doing five 90-minute tours a week on Thursday, Friday and Saturday, which amounts to 7.5 hours per week there are visitors to our property; all are by reservation only."

Visitors are charged $30 per person with a maximum capacity of 16 people per tour who get to come in and learn about the animals while petting, brushing, feeding and cuddling them. Each tour has the capability of producing $480 and there is a small gift stand with llama-related items. Daley said they have managed to be at 50-60% capacity since opening in February.

She said the family has been able to slide by making $6,000 per month. The animals cost around $1,000 a month to maintain if no veterinary costs are needed and that leaves enough money to pay the mortgage and the family's living expenses with what Daley's income doesn't provide.

"To be honest, we were completely clueless as to what we were all signing up for with caring for my grandmother. It has been incredibly hard, and it has taken a huge toll on my mom's mental wellbeing and then that just trickles on down to the rest of us," Daley said. "These animals have saved our lives and that is the God's-honest truth. I just turned 40 and I walked away from my entire life to help care for my grandma and my parents as they begin to age. Some days it's hard to get through the day without crying."

The animals all have Biblical names. The three llamas are Jude, Asher and Eli; the two alpacas are Abigail and Levi and the Nigerian dwarf goats are Jonah, Noah, Caleb and Jacob.

"I will die if I have to lose any of my animals; it's just not something I can handle," Daley said. "These animals are my children, and I am willing to shut my business down in order to keep them. I just have to pray the county gives me an administrative permit and I find an organization to partner with soon so we can stay open."

For more information, visit www.thelaughingllamafallbrook.com.

 

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