Trevor Beswick, 9, is just $40 dollars away from buying his new acoustic guitar.

And he's earning the money himself by delivering newspapers in his Kennewick neighborhood.

Two days a week, his mom, Elaine, wakes him up at 5 a.m. so the two can start his Herald paper route either by bicycle or on foot.

But lately, the fourth-grader has left the heavy lifting to King -- the family's fluffy brown llama.

"We bring some (food) pellets and give him a handful once in a while," Trevor said recently, holding King by a leash in the family's garage.

Elaine said the idea came to her after surgery on her arm made it difficult for her to carry loads of papers. She said she needed a way to be comfortable and keep Trevor company.

"These are bred as pack animals," Elaine said as she thumbed through llama and alpaca picture books with her daughter Arianna, 7.

And Trevor said his route is a lot more fun riding his bike with King at his side. Passers-by like it, too.

"Some people stop and take pictures," said Trevor, who recently showed King at the Benton Franklin Fair & Rodeo and took home the junior grand champion prize.

Neighbors Mike and Jane Talbot said they met the Beswicks and their llama about three months ago while walking their two dogs. "I get a huge kick of it," said Jane Talbot, who usually runs into King and Trevor about 6 a.m. each morning during the couple's walk.

"We call it our paper llama," she said.

Trevor's dad, Eric, said the 270-pound animal can haul about 50 papers, which they put in a double-pocket carrier bag that fits snugly on King's back. Eric said the spectacle has helped the Beswick family get to know all the neighbors a lot better.

Trevor and his mom said almost all their customers have paper boxes close to the street so King doesn't get distracted or have to go in neighbors' yards.

Trevor and Arianna both take care of King, who lives in the backyard with the family's other llama, goat and small collection of chickens and rabbits.

But King isn't allowed to do a paper route on a full stomach.

"If we feed him before we go he doesn't want to leave," Elaine said with a laugh.

Still, there are plenty of things for the llama to nibble on while working.

"He likes to help weed the neighbors' gardens," Elaine said. "Sometimes he finds wild alfalfa."