You've got to love a face like this!

If you're Gil Riegler and Nancy Kobert, you love each and every one of your 10 camels.

"I really love them a lot. They are very intelligent. They are very sweet and affectionate. They can be a challenge to work with and they always keep you on your toes, but they're wonderful animals," said Riegler.

"Camels are super-easy to work with, they are gentle, and they are so intelligent. They have a great group dynamic," said Kobert.

Gil and Nancy operate the Oasis Camel Dairy in Ramona, near San Diego, the only known camel dairy in the United States.

Yes, camels are mammals, which means they give milk.

"The whole thing is we only have about 90 seconds to milk. Because they're nomadic, the camel needs to keep moving. So she drops her milk for a very short amount of time," said Riegler.

Humans can consume the milk from these dromedaries, or one-humped camels. Their owners drink the milk daily and have plans to eventually offer it to the general public. But for now, they are introducing the camel's milk in an altered state.

"It just dawned on me that we could make soap. And people love it," said Riegler.

The camel's milk is combined with lye, vegetable oils and the appropriate herbs and spices to form the soap. The Oasis Camel Dairy produces soap in 5 different varieties: milk and honey, lavender, rosemary mint, spice caravan and gold-frankincense & myrrh.

"Camel's milk soap is extremely luxurious because of the balance of the protein and the vitamin C. It's got the exfoliating, the antioxidants, the natural moisturizer. That aside, it's also a heck of a novelty," offered Kobert.

And the camels are a heck of a lot of fun as well.

"The great thing about working with camels is that you have got such a big, wonderful, affectionate, cuddly animal in there that really wants a lot of hands-on. And so it's really fun to work with them," said Kobert.

"Oh, it's wonderful. It's neat to wake up in the morning and you look out the window and you see all of the camels roaming around here," stated Riegler.

Currently the camels roam on 5 acres of property but Gil and Nancy hope to expand the operation in both acreage and number of camels in the near future. In the meantime, they travel around the state educating the public about the camel. We first met them and their camel Clyde at just such an event, America's Family Pet Expo in Sacramento.

"I would say, right up there with sharks they are probably one of the most misunderstood animals on the planet. The first thing that we hear when we are out at an exhibit, with the public, is 'Do they spit?' No, they don't spit," observed Kobert.

"Five or six years we've had camels and we've never had a camel spit at us, ever," offered Riegler.

But they have had lots of shared affection with their animals at this one of a kind dairy with the camel connection.

For more information on the Oasis Camel Dairy and their soaps, visit www.cameldairy.com.