Artful
03-29-2015, 04:31 PM
So national news Feb. 27th, 2015
Two llamas on the loose in a West Valley retirement community were lassoed into Internet fame after escaping their owner on Thursday afternoon.
The dynamic duo -- one black and one white -- dodged cars, avoided lassos, and managed tolaunch their own Twitter account (https://twitter.com/SunCityLlamas?original_referer=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.az central.com%2Fstory%2Fnews%2Flocal%2Fsurprise%2F20 15%2F02%2F26%2Fsun-city-llamas-on-the-loose-abrk%2F24068713%2F&tw_i=571040479573377024&tw_p=tweetembed) as they ran amok in the town northwest of Phoenix just before noon.
Maricopa County Sheriff's Office posse members tried to corral the llamas with their SUVs as they moved from a field into a neighborhood near 103rd and Grand Avenues, but were unable to stop them from bolting away. The runaway animals were eventually caught by three onlookers.
"If it weren't for (their help) we wouldn't have been able to catch them," said Lt. Brandon Jones, of the Maricopa County Sheriff's Office.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=81HOHEfuKic
Well they we making an appearance when the owners were notified by USDA
http://www.chron.com/news/us/article/Llama-drama-owners-say-USDA-draws-line-against-6164799.php
PHOENIX (AP) — The llamas that became a social media sensation running around a Phoenix-area retirement enclave last month are saying goodbye to the spotlight with one last event Saturday.
Kahkneeta (kah-NEE'-tah) and Laney, whose televised dash mesmerized the Internet and Sun City residents, will likely be making their final public appearance at a Phoenix race track, according to owners Bub Bullis (http://www.chron.com/search/?action=search&channel=news%2Fus&inlineLink=1&searchindex=gsa&query=%22Bub+Bullis%22) andKaren Freund (http://www.chron.com/search/?action=search&channel=news%2Fus&inlineLink=1&searchindex=gsa&query=%22Karen+Freund%22).
The llama drama that spawned jokes and Twitter hashtags also got the attention of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Freund said.
"If this opens up a can of worms where everybody across the country gets shut down doing this, that's really unfair," Freund said. "That's really a horrible thing to do to people who benefit from them."
A USDA (http://www.chron.com/search/?action=search&channel=news%2Fus&inlineLink=1&searchindex=gsa&query=%22USDA%22) official contacted them shortly after the Feb. 26 incident, saying they needed a license to showcase their llamas or even allow people to snap photos of them, the couple said. Neither was aware of such a policy. The husband and wife, who are both retired Phoenix police officers, had planned to continue offering the llamas for therapy and educational purposes.
"They just totally destroyed everything I had planned for my retirement," Freund said. "We've taken them to schools before. Now they're telling me I can't do anything, even like a photo shoot."
http://mashable.com/2015/03/28/famous-llamas-usda/
Feds are cracking down on the Internet's favorite fugitive llamasThe two llamas that led authorities on a chase (http://mashable.com/2015/02/26/escaped-llamas-arizona/) through Sun City, Arizona, late last month now have the attention of federal officials.
According to the llamas' owners, Bub Bullis and Karen Freund, the U.S. Department of Agriculture took issue with the fact that they did not have the proper license to showcase the therapy animals. Freund said the USDA has not responded to her calls asking to resolve the matter, as everything has to be in writing, so she and Bullis are giving up for the time being.
"They just totally destroyed everything I had planned for my retirement," Freund, who was unaware of the license, told The Guardian (http://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2015/mar/28/usda-llamas-license-owners-bub-bullis-karen-freund). The two said they previously brought the llamas to schools without any issues.
“If this opens up a can of worms where everybody across the country gets shut down doing this, that’s really unfair,” Freund said. “That’s really a horrible thing to do to people who benefit from them.”
Bullis and Freund, who are retired Phoenix police officers, had planned to continue offering the llamas as therapy animals.
Still, the post-fugitive lives of Kahkneeta (white llama) and Laney (black llama) are looking pretty sweet. Bullis and Freund, who began raising llamas nine years ago and currently own nine, plan to move to a farm in Chino Valley, and take their notorious pets with them.
Have something to add to this story? Share it in the comments.
Two llamas on the loose in a West Valley retirement community were lassoed into Internet fame after escaping their owner on Thursday afternoon.
The dynamic duo -- one black and one white -- dodged cars, avoided lassos, and managed tolaunch their own Twitter account (https://twitter.com/SunCityLlamas?original_referer=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.az central.com%2Fstory%2Fnews%2Flocal%2Fsurprise%2F20 15%2F02%2F26%2Fsun-city-llamas-on-the-loose-abrk%2F24068713%2F&tw_i=571040479573377024&tw_p=tweetembed) as they ran amok in the town northwest of Phoenix just before noon.
Maricopa County Sheriff's Office posse members tried to corral the llamas with their SUVs as they moved from a field into a neighborhood near 103rd and Grand Avenues, but were unable to stop them from bolting away. The runaway animals were eventually caught by three onlookers.
"If it weren't for (their help) we wouldn't have been able to catch them," said Lt. Brandon Jones, of the Maricopa County Sheriff's Office.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=81HOHEfuKic
Well they we making an appearance when the owners were notified by USDA
http://www.chron.com/news/us/article/Llama-drama-owners-say-USDA-draws-line-against-6164799.php
PHOENIX (AP) — The llamas that became a social media sensation running around a Phoenix-area retirement enclave last month are saying goodbye to the spotlight with one last event Saturday.
Kahkneeta (kah-NEE'-tah) and Laney, whose televised dash mesmerized the Internet and Sun City residents, will likely be making their final public appearance at a Phoenix race track, according to owners Bub Bullis (http://www.chron.com/search/?action=search&channel=news%2Fus&inlineLink=1&searchindex=gsa&query=%22Bub+Bullis%22) andKaren Freund (http://www.chron.com/search/?action=search&channel=news%2Fus&inlineLink=1&searchindex=gsa&query=%22Karen+Freund%22).
The llama drama that spawned jokes and Twitter hashtags also got the attention of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Freund said.
"If this opens up a can of worms where everybody across the country gets shut down doing this, that's really unfair," Freund said. "That's really a horrible thing to do to people who benefit from them."
A USDA (http://www.chron.com/search/?action=search&channel=news%2Fus&inlineLink=1&searchindex=gsa&query=%22USDA%22) official contacted them shortly after the Feb. 26 incident, saying they needed a license to showcase their llamas or even allow people to snap photos of them, the couple said. Neither was aware of such a policy. The husband and wife, who are both retired Phoenix police officers, had planned to continue offering the llamas for therapy and educational purposes.
"They just totally destroyed everything I had planned for my retirement," Freund said. "We've taken them to schools before. Now they're telling me I can't do anything, even like a photo shoot."
http://mashable.com/2015/03/28/famous-llamas-usda/
Feds are cracking down on the Internet's favorite fugitive llamasThe two llamas that led authorities on a chase (http://mashable.com/2015/02/26/escaped-llamas-arizona/) through Sun City, Arizona, late last month now have the attention of federal officials.
According to the llamas' owners, Bub Bullis and Karen Freund, the U.S. Department of Agriculture took issue with the fact that they did not have the proper license to showcase the therapy animals. Freund said the USDA has not responded to her calls asking to resolve the matter, as everything has to be in writing, so she and Bullis are giving up for the time being.
"They just totally destroyed everything I had planned for my retirement," Freund, who was unaware of the license, told The Guardian (http://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2015/mar/28/usda-llamas-license-owners-bub-bullis-karen-freund). The two said they previously brought the llamas to schools without any issues.
“If this opens up a can of worms where everybody across the country gets shut down doing this, that’s really unfair,” Freund said. “That’s really a horrible thing to do to people who benefit from them.”
Bullis and Freund, who are retired Phoenix police officers, had planned to continue offering the llamas as therapy animals.
Still, the post-fugitive lives of Kahkneeta (white llama) and Laney (black llama) are looking pretty sweet. Bullis and Freund, who began raising llamas nine years ago and currently own nine, plan to move to a farm in Chino Valley, and take their notorious pets with them.
Have something to add to this story? Share it in the comments.