Our fluffy mission: Using alpacas for mental health!
Many people ask us: "Why do you have alpacas?" The simple answer might be: because they are so cute, they look after the pastures and they delight our Instagram followers. But the real story behind it is much deeper. For us, alpacas are much more than just animals – they are our resource, our "skills", as many people with mental illnesses may know.
Alpacas as relaxation animals: support for mental health
Unfortunately, we ourselves are affected by various mental diagnoses, especially depression and borderline personality disorder. For many years we have struggled through the challenges of living with mental illness - from hospital stays to new medications to innovative therapies like ECT and ketamine. But about 8 years ago, fluffy heads surprised us while we were out for a walk and after careful consideration, we had a new resource, something that could help us break the endless cycle and steer our lives on a more positive long-term trajectory.
Mental Health and Alpacas: How the Animals Help Us
The alpacas were an attempt to do just that. They quickly became an integral part of our lives, a source of laughter, calm and structure. Especially in the dark and difficult times, when everything becomes too much, animals give us moments of joy and an anchor to hold on to. The responsibility for the alpacas also gives us a rhythm and routine that is so important for mental health.
From the beginning, it was important to us to share this joy and the special charisma of our "soul healers with fur", as we affectionately call our alpaca herd, with others. We hope to have won over one or two alpaca fans via Instagram and in real encounters with acquaintances and friends.
Even though the alpacas may not have been a cure-all for our mental illnesses and may have prevented further difficult phases with hospital stays, they have nevertheless become an essential part of our lives.
Alpaca products for a good cause: Our Mental Health Collection
However, our alpacas are not just there for us - they are also meant to help others with their special aura - true to the motto "soul healers for all"! That is why we have already offered free hikes for people with mental illnesses or other handicaps in the past. We also collect donations for initiatives that promote mental health in Germany and increase the acceptance of mental illnesses.
A portion of these donations comes from our Mental Health collection in our Alpaca online shop . When you purchase a product from this collection, we donate 20% of the turnover to charitable organizations that care about mental health (such as the Robert Enke Foundation). We also regularly collect donations in our farm shop.
A project particularly close to our hearts was the donation of several hundred alpaca stress balls to the hospitals that accompanied us on our journey.
But we want to do more. In the future, we would like to encourage alpaca owners to organize regular hikes for nearby hospitals or institutions - completely free of charge for the participants. Find out more here!
We also want to talk more about mental illness on our Instagram and give these topics more space. Our goal is to provide information, reduce stigma and find fellow sufferers And we have a mental health blog about topics that are authentic to us.
The love for alpacas and our desire to help
It is often said that you should think of yourself before you help others. But for us, helping is part of our identity. Even if we are going through difficult times in our lives, supporting others - be it through small gestures like alpaca gifts - gives us a small feeling of meaning and satisfaction. Of course, our very small initiative will not be able to conjure up a place for everyone who has been looking for a therapy place for a long time and urgently, but we simply want to help - within our framework, authentically.
We would be delighted if you supported us on this journey. Whether by purchasing one of our products or simply News – everything helps.
And to all of you who think you are alone and without hope: you are not alone! You have not only our alpacas aka soul healers behind you, but also many people and fellow sufferers who support and understand you.