Our Farm

We are Tom and Elaine Dobbin and own and operate Black Ash Acres near Oil Springs, Ontario. We cash crop and always had livestock, but I always had a hard time seeing them sold for meat and was looking for an animal that was not primarily used for this purpose. I was also looking for a gentle, peaceful animal that was easy to raise and easy to handle – enter the graceful alluring Alpaca

We started with 5 boys, but soon couldn’t resist the lure of cria. Who can resist those faces? There is nothing more relaxing and entertaining than to watch cria run and play at the end of the day . It is difficult to resist the charm of these animals and the sense of calm, well being and peacefulness they can impart. Their gentle humming soothes the frazzled nerves and obliterates the stress of the day.

Alpacas are people friendly, earth kind, gentle inquisitive creatures that grow superb and rare fleece – one of the most valuable known to man. The Alpacas luxurious fibre can be compared to cashmere, but is stronger, much warmer and said to be non- allergenic One of the world’s finest natural fibres, it can be described as soft, supple, smooth, fine, strong, resilient with thermal warmth and its rich lustre comes in 22 natural colours – a desirable asset for the fashion industry and knitters and spinners.

Each Alpaca has its own personality – some in your face friendly and others stand offish, but all very inquisitive. Most don’t enjoy being petted but do enjoy interacting with others .They are clean and intelligent animals that are easy on the environment with their padded feet. They are efficient food processors, being modified ruminants and typically have a hardy constitution. Up to 7 can be raised on a well established pasture if you follow a rotation system of pasturing.

They fit in and get along with other animals such as goats, sheep, donkeys, horses, cats and family dogs.

We breed to obtain fine, crimpy dense fibre. We strive for great conformation and friendly dispositions. We offer CLAA and ARI registered breeding stock and fibre/companion animals

Raising Alpacas is a rich and rewarding experience. Spending some time with them at the end of a stressful day makes you feel better and brings new meaning to your life. Whether you are a first time buyer looking for a starter package or an experienced breeder, we have alpacas available to suit most needs and budgets