Welcome
To
Double "A" Alpacas from lovely West Virginia's Double "A" Ranch
We are located in
the Springfield District of Monroe county, amidst the rolling
hills and tall ridges of the Allegheny Mountains. Four
perfect seasons in this moderate climate allow our alpacas
to thrive in comfort. We have a small, select foundation herd of
huacayas . Our special animals carry the
legacy of elite bloodlines that have been carefully bred for beauty and value, and we love every one of them.
My husband Allen and I are now almost five years in to the alpaca business and
like many of you starting out or just beginning to investigate
the lifestyle we longed for way out of the hectic lives we'd
found ourselves living. We also knew if we were to live the
country dream we would need a way to make a living in a rural
environment. After ruling out many other kinds of businesses
alpaca ranching kept intriguing us. We
had both already owned several businesses and didn't want to go
back down the path of employees and high pressured sales and
marketing. We take a low-key approach to owning and breeding these gentle
animals.

Like our mentors (Yes, find yourselves
like minded mentors, it might even be us!) Gillian and
Gordon Ratcliff of Classic Alpacas
we are not big on
the idea of trekking round the country with a trailer full of frightened animals attending shows and entering competitions just so that we can accumulate ribbons and awards. This is usually stressful for the animals, especially in the first and last trimesters of their pregnancies. Instead, we
prefer to spend our time with our animals in their pastures and barns; watching them, learning from them, and seeing that they are as comfortable and contented as we can make them. In this way, we try to ensure that
alpaca we breed or broker grow to be socialized, healthy,
and happy.