As a general rule, the alpacas are mild-mannered, sweet-tempered animals. The only exception is feeding time. Can you guess which alpaca is the pushiest?

Yup! It’s Brittany! And though getting caught in the crossfire between the girls is “all part of the experience” (as Dad is apt to say, quoting Chevy Chase, whenever anyone complains about anything), Brittany has taken this to the next level.

Mom was putting out fresh hay, which has just a touch of delicious alfalfa in it, and she wasn’t moving fast enough to suit Brittany. As Mom was pulling the hay out of the big plastic trash can she uses to move it around the barn, Brittany actually kicked her! This was the last straw in their recently escalating conflict, so Mom retaliated. She tossed the now empty trash can at Brittany, bumping her side with it. Brittany wheeled away and gave Mom her best “How rude!” look. I’m guessing that at this point Mom probably said something like “There! You forced me into that! That hurt me more than it hurt you,” to which Brittany responded “Harumph!”

In any case, a tenuous cease-fire now exists in the paddock at feeding time, and Brittany has learned a lesson that my brother and I learned long, long ago: don’t push it with Mom. None of the other girls needed to find this out the hard way, which probably says something about their IQs…they are clearly smarter than Brittany, my brother and me.