Bill and Jean Walton are animal lovers and skilled animal handlers. They love to share their wide assortment of farm and exotic animal pets and their wealth of personal knowledge and experience with others. Each year thousands of people enjoy these animals in petting zoos the Waltons set up at large and small events throughout the Minneapolis/St. Paul Metro area. Their animals include rabbits, ducks, geese, turkeys, chickens, Pygmy and Nubian goats, pot bellied pigs, miniature and spotted donkeys, sheep and lambs, calves, llamas, ponies and miniature horses, Norwegian Fjord horses, and Great Pyrenees dogs.
Bill and Jean take pride in presenting clean, healthy, gentle animals that not only love to be around people, but also get along well with each other.
The goal at each of their petting zoos is to present an assortment of animals in a safe, comfortable setting and then encourage people of all ages and abilities to fully interact with them. Care is always taken to insure that each experience is enjoyable for people and animals alike. Bill, Jean, or one of their experienced helpers is always close by to answer questions, show how to hold, feed or groom an animal or just pick up any fresh droppings. The petting zoos can be set up indoors but outside on grass is preferable. Portable canopies are brought along to provide shade when needed. Droppings are always picked up right away. The petting zoos come in different sizes to accommodate any size event.
Full Walk-In Petting Zoo This is the most popular petting zoo from Walton's Hollow. It consists of a portable corral that is about 50 feet across with 40 to 45 large and small animals loose inside. There is a set of double gates to allow people to enter and leave the corral freely while keeping the animals inside. This petting zoo can accommodate over 300 people an hour. It is often booked for community fairs, carnivals, company picnics, and has even been used for "in-house field trips" at schools.
Double Walk-In Petting Zoo This is the petting zoo for the big crowds. It is similar to the full petting zoo but twice as big. The corral is about 70 feet across with 80 to 90 large and small animals loose inside. This petting zoo can handle over 600 people an hour and is appropriate for the larger community festivals and other events that attract large numbers of families.
Small Petting Zoo This is a more intimate petting zoo, suitable for younger children. It consists of 15 to 20 animals, the majority of which are small animals like bunnies, chickens, ducks, goat kids, and pot belly pigs. Three or four larger animals are also included, such as a calf, llama, a lamb and a large Nubian goat. Buddy Bear, the Great Pyrenees dog is a big hit and always comes along. The larger animals are picketed out with ground stakes and the small animals are kept in a portable pen. Several children at a time are allowed to set in the pen with the animals. This petting zoo can comfortably handle about 60 children an hour when they are in groups of 20 or less and allowed up to 20 minutes per group. This arrangement is quite popular at daycare centers, pre-school and kindergarten classrooms and even at nursing homes.
Animal Visits The animal visits are most often at nursing homes but are also a hit at elementary schools, senior centers, and hospitals. The visit normally involves Bill with 4 or 5 animals simply going around the facility letting the people hold or pet the animals and answering their questions. The animals most often used in these visits are the Great Pyrenees dog, bunnies, and chickens. Many of the animals at Waltons' Hollow have been successfully evaluated by the Pet Partners program of the Delta Society for skills and aptitudes desired in animals that visit facilities.
