By Tommy Brannon
“We have been married for over 20 years and I have always known that someday we would have a camel,” predicted Amanda McGee. This is not an expected statement from a married couple, especially in the mid-south as opposed to the middle-east. But for anyone who knows Amanda and Dr. Shannon McGee and their daughter Evelyn, it is not a surprise. The family has a menagerie of animals at their farm in Hudsonville, Mississippi, and their love of all kinds of animals is evident.
Shannon is a veterinarian at Collierville Animal Clinic in Collierville, Tennessee and he has had experience treating camels at the Memphis Zoo. Amanda said because of that, he has many times expressed a desire to have a camel in the pasture. Felicia Knightly, DVM, Chief Veterinarian at the zoo told Shannon that his best chance to get one was to look for a rescue, because in America camels are very expensive. An opportunity for just such an animal came up in December 2020 when several camels were rescued from a facility in Virginia and shipped to a rehabilitation site in Colorado.
One problem with trailering a camel is its size. They just won’t fit in a horse trailer, so Amanda asked around and found that Pam Wade, a fellow fox hunter and member of Oak Grove Hunt Club, knew someone in Middleton, Tennessee who used to have camels and had a trailer that was built to haul them. A road trip was planned and Amanda, Evelyn, fellow fox hunter Barbara Henking, and Evelyn’s big Standard Poodle Remington set out to retrieve Frankincense, aka Frank, from Colorado. When asked who among the sojourners had the most experience hauling a camel, Amanda’s answer was Remington.
They headed out the last week of December and picked up Frank on New Year’s Day. He was in terrible shape, and was emaciated to the point that he didn’t have a discernible hump. The weather for early winter in the plains cooperated, as they skirted around two ice storms: one on the way there and one on the way home. Frank stayed in the roomy trailer the whole trip, fortified with plenty of hay and water.
One incident, however, convinced Amanda that they were being blessed on their journey. Upon crossing the state line from Oklahoma to Arkansas, the truck shut down. Roadside assistance was called and when the driver pulled up, everyone could read Romans 8:28 “all things work together for good to those who love God” was printed on the truck. They knew they were in good hands. The alternator, which was original to the truck, had failed. Because they could not safely unload Frank, the repair truck driver replaced both batteries so that the rig could be driven to his nearby shop. The alternator was then replaced and the group headed on their way. The whole incident only took a few hours.
Shannon said that Frank is a neutered male between the ages of 5 and 8 years old. He has gained a lot of weight since he was moved to Mississippi and has adjusted well. He is a friendly fellow and likes people, especially Evelyn. She will snuggle up and sit on him while he is relaxing in the pasture, but she has not ridden him yet. Frank lives in the pasture with the chickens, mainly because the horses don’t know what to make of him. The Oldenburg named Lilly, a Thoroughbred named Barboncito, and Black Jack the pony won’t have anything to do with him. However, the five Haflingers in the pasture don’t seem to be bothered by him. So Frank, being a herding animal, may be a little lonely. Next on the list is to find a camel friend for Frank.
“We have been married for over 20 years and I have always known that someday we would have a camel,” predicted Amanda McGee. This is not an expected statement from a married couple, especially in the mid-south as opposed to the middle-east. But for anyone who knows Amanda and Dr. Shannon McGee and their daughter Evelyn, it is not a surprise. The family has a menagerie of animals at their farm in Hudsonville, Mississippi, and their love of all kinds of animals is evident.
Shannon is a veterinarian at Collierville Animal Clinic in Collierville, Tennessee and he has had experience treating camels at the Memphis Zoo. Amanda said because of that, he has many times expressed a desire to have a camel in the pasture. Felicia Knightly, DVM, Chief Veterinarian at the zoo told Shannon that his best chance to get one was to look for a rescue, because in America camels are very expensive. An opportunity for just such an animal came up in December 2020 when several camels were rescued from a facility in Virginia and shipped to a rehabilitation site in Colorado.
One problem with trailering a camel is its size. They just won’t fit in a horse trailer, so Amanda asked around and found that Pam Wade, a fellow fox hunter and member of Oak Grove Hunt Club, knew someone in Middleton, Tennessee who used to have camels and had a trailer that was built to haul them. A road trip was planned and Amanda, Evelyn, fellow fox hunter Barbara Henking, and Evelyn’s big Standard Poodle Remington set out to retrieve Frankincense, aka Frank, from Colorado. When asked who among the sojourners had the most experience hauling a camel, Amanda’s answer was Remington.
They headed out the last week of December and picked up Frank on New Year’s Day. He was in terrible shape, and was emaciated to the point that he didn’t have a discernible hump. The weather for early winter in the plains cooperated, as they skirted around two ice storms: one on the way there and one on the way home. Frank stayed in the roomy trailer the whole trip, fortified with plenty of hay and water.
One incident, however, convinced Amanda that they were being blessed on their journey. Upon crossing the state line from Oklahoma to Arkansas, the truck shut down. Roadside assistance was called and when the driver pulled up, everyone could read Romans 8:28 “all things work together for good to those who love God” was printed on the truck. They knew they were in good hands. The alternator, which was original to the truck, had failed. Because they could not safely unload Frank, the repair truck driver replaced both batteries so that the rig could be driven to his nearby shop. The alternator was then replaced and the group headed on their way. The whole incident only took a few hours.
Shannon said that Frank is a neutered male between the ages of 5 and 8 years old. He has gained a lot of weight since he was moved to Mississippi and has adjusted well. He is a friendly fellow and likes people, especially Evelyn. She will snuggle up and sit on him while he is relaxing in the pasture, but she has not ridden him yet. Frank lives in the pasture with the chickens, mainly because the horses don’t know what to make of him. The Oldenburg named Lilly, a Thoroughbred named Barboncito, and Black Jack the pony won’t have anything to do with him. However, the five Haflingers in the pasture don’t seem to be bothered by him. So Frank, being a herding animal, may be a little lonely. Next on the list is to find a camel friend for Frank.
