Oakley ? In the market for a six-legged cow? How about a 17-foot-tall concrete prairie dog?

Then Larry Farmer has a deal for you. For the past 40 years, Farmer has owned Oakley’s Prairie Dog Town, a homegrown business that attracts nearly 30,000 people annually.

But after two heart attacks and open heart surgery, caring for the attraction and its 200 animals has grown too difficult.

Farmer and his wife, Janet, listed the 8-acre attraction, which includes a gift shop and apartment, with Hays-based Landmark Realty a couple of weeks ago.

“We’re going to be kind of particular about who we get,” Larry Farmer said.

After all, the attraction is his baby. He recalled the early, lean years, when just a few dollars trickled in. But gradually more visitors flocked to the prairie dog town, home to dozens of all-but-domesticated prairie dogs.

“Everybody in Oakley said I was crazier than hell,” he said. “They still think it’s half a joke. And that’s fine. We’ve made a good living.”

The prairie dogs are among nearly 60 species housed at the attraction. One of the more popular exhibits is a rattlesnake pit, a wire mesh-topped box that generally contains about 60 prairie and western diamondback rattlesnakes of various sizes.

The snakes wow school children – who make up about half the visitors – when they come in for a tour, Farmer said.

Other visitors are attracted by the publicity.

The couple’s business is among seven Kansas spots featured on RoadsideAmerica.com, an online guide to offbeat tourist attractions.

In a normal year, visitors from about 50 countries stop in for a look. And they aren’t all children.

“We found out the older folks had just as much fun as the kids,” he said.

The attraction is busiest in the summer months and closes as the temperatures drop.

But the work continues year-round for the Farmers, who must feed the animals twice a day. With Farmer’s poor health, his wife is doing most of the work.

Farmer said the couple is ready for a change of pace. He wants to write about his years at the attraction.

“Every day is different,” he said. “And you meet the nicest, nicest folks. It’s been a wonderful experience.”