Three-month-old alpaca Paprika is settling into her new home in Giralang, under the careful eye of Nils Lantzke.
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Although the curious young alpaca only arrived from Sutton on Monday, she is getting on well with her new companion Hercules and the people around the pair.
Mr Lantzke was surprised during a radio interview with weekend breakfast on Hit 104.7 Canberra on Saturday morning with the news that some local businesses had banded together to buy him a new alpaca after a tragic event earlier in the week.
Terracon Legal, Papas Painting, Papas Projects and Lit Consulting all pitched in to help Mr Lantzke get a new alpaca.
Last Tuesday, a man filmed his unleashed dog while it attacked Mr Lantzke's two therapy alpacas, Hercules and Mimosa. Hercules escaped uninjured but scared, while Mimosa had to be euthanised after her two front legs were broken.
Hercules slept by the gate on Wednesday waiting for Mimosa to come home. But now he has Paprika to protect, Mr Lantzke said.
When Mr Lantzke went out to the Alpaca Magic farm at Sutton last week to see if there was a young alpaca he could buy, they all ran off - except one.
"I saw [Paprika] leave her mum and come towards me. I dropped down on one knee and she just came right up to me and rubbed noses," Mr Lantzke said.
"It's just unbelievable, it was like she sensed my pain and wanted to help."
It won't be long before Paprika joins Hercules in regular trips to hospitals, Clare Holland House and the city.
She'll need some training first, but Mr Lantzke said Paprika should soon be out and about with him on his regular trips around Canberra.
Mr Lantzke provided a statement to police on Tuesday as part of an investigation into last week's dog attack, but the dog and its owner have not been found.
Mr Lantzke again appealed for anyone with information to come forward.
"I'm angry but I'm not letting the anger take over because it's no good if I have a stroke or something like that, it doesn't help," he said.
But the outpouring of support has warmed Mr Lantzke's heart in the days after the brutal attack.
He said people had left cards and flowers and offered donations and support, leaving him overwhelmed and reminded of the extended network of people whose lives had been touched by the therapy alpacas.
Mr Lantzke has been making visits with therapy alpacas since 2003, but is currently looking for new volunteers to help him continue.
For Mr Lantzke, the joy of his therapy alpacas will always lie in helping others. He urged people who were housebound and would like a visit from a house-trained alpaca to get in touch - he would be more than happy to bring Hercules, and soon Paprika, around for a visit.
"There's no such thing as a 100 per cent altruistic person," he said.
But Mr Lantzke surely comes close.
