- Joined
- Jan 4, 2024
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Hi everyone. I've been reading through your posts now, for awhile, and I feel like I know some of you! Haha. I have a few questions, but I would like to make them each a thread, because they are different topics. Some of them have been addressed in other threads, but I still am not sure, so I'm just going to ask them anyway.
Th long story...(if you want the short version, it's below). Over the last 25 years, my husband and I have had goats, dogs, cats, etc. We also used to have a very very small 501C3 animal rescue. We mostly handled abused and neglected, dogs and cats. Sometimes bottle babies, injured or heartworm positive animals that were in an emergency situation. We sort of became a go-to for a tough cases, because we had the time and desire to see it through. The local animal shelters and vets knew us as such. One day, probably 12 years ago, I got a call from Kansas highway patrol, who got my number from the animal shelter in Gardner, Kansas. I live about an hour north of there, on the opposite side of Kansas City, Missouri. (Yes, I was scratching my head about the leap from there...to ME.) There was a "donkey" running down the interstate, and they had somehow trapped it in someone's fenced area. I cannot even imagine how terrified he was, because they used their sirens and lights to herd him. I knew less than NOTHING about donkeys. But I called my husband, who is now quite literally an angel, and he found a horse trailer, picked me up at work, and we somehow got that "donkey" into the trailer and home. Turns out, he was a mini mule, and I named him Desperado. We just happened to have a very small paddock off of our barn, from the days when we had a couple of goats and a chicken. Desperado was beautiful and I fell very in love with him. But I was also very dedicated to our rescue. And you can't keep your rescue animals. That's where a lot of rescues fail. You can fall in love, but your JOB is to find them a home, not become a hoarder of lovely animals that are adoptable. (Yes, it's kind of a soap box for me, and I humbly recognize where I have failed in that way.) But I digress. It's just important to understand that I could love him, but also let him go. Which I did, months later, to a lovely woman that had a pony and needed a companion for him.
But after he was adopted out, I felt a mini mule sized hole in my life. I had spend hours and hours with Desperado, learning about him, and getting him to trust me. We spent the time and money to get his hooves in better shape, and his body looking great. I regretted letting him go, in the worse kind of way, even knowing that I can't keep a rescue and continue rescuing. My husband told me that our local feed store owner raises mini donkeys, and we got on her list. Do you know what "chicken math" is? Well, sure you do. You just call it "mini math", probably.
So 2 years later, we had 3 mini donkeys. Esperanza (Espy), Jellybean, and Jalapeno. Then I started getting migraines, sometimes daily. After months and months of testing, we discovered that I had allergies. Grass Smut, mold, and equine, among other things. Although I was heartbroken, I didn't see another path forward with my donkeys. We found them truly amazing homes. I am a woman of faith, and I believe God moved in ways that we could not have imagined, finding those donkeys homes where they thrived and were a perfect fit. Years later, I had an opportunity to get a pony. I had been getting twice weekly allergy shots, and had learned a lot about managing my allergies. So we took the chance, and rescued a pony named Tater. He was fantastic. He had a history of laminitis, and I thought we could handle it. "We" could not. My amazingly supportive, drop everything to go pick up a donkey in need of rescue, angel of a husband simply could not leave Tater in his safe pen. Because surely Tater wanted to eat some of that spring clover that was right outside his paddock. I love my husband, but he could not leave Tater where Tater would be healthiest. He wanted Tater to be happy, even if it was short lived. So I found Tater a home where they understood what a dry lot was, and were committed to giving him what he needed, not what he wanted.
I only tell you all of that so that you understand that I am a committed donkey owner, with a little experience, but NOT a LOT of experience. And I am now a widow. So I'm searching for the greatest peace I can find here on earth, and that happens to be with animals.
Short version...I have amassed a herd of 3 (I will update this in a follow up post) mini donkeys. Valentino, a now 6 month old spotted white mini boy, who came to me in early December; and shortly after, Cheyenne (10 yrs) and Ariel (8 yrs), both grey, fat all over, needing some professional hoof care and vaccinations, who were in a bit of a rescue situation. They came to me "probably pregnant", after living full time with a jack. They both had babies every year. I shouldn't judge, but I guess I'm going to. Where they lived was lacking. Based on our conversations, I believe she didn't have hay for this winter, and they had been doing their maintenance themselves. I'm all for doing it yourself, but it wasn't done well. Did I buy them? Yes I did. I would do it again, in a heartbeat, especially knowing what this winter was going to be like. I am incredibly thankful that they have shelter here, especially with the extended below-zero cold we've had. I know they are donkeys, and they can handle the cold, snow, and many live wonderful lives without any shelter. I would have made a terrible pilgrim, and I tend to spoil my animals if at all possible.
Valentino is a complete stinker, haha, as you would expect a toddler donkey to be. And I could not love him more. He's absolutely delightful, and very much like my Espy, from days gone by. Cheyenne and Ariel are crabby, due in large part to Valentino. I knew that Valentino needed an adult companion, to teach him, and to be a donkey with. I have 2 lambs, a goat and 4 chickens in my coop by the house, but they would not be suitable companions.
So there's my intro. I'm going to need a lot of help. I'm willing to learn, and I want to do the right things. I'm very open minded, and I'm not someone that walks around looking for ways to be offended.
Suzy
Th long story...(if you want the short version, it's below). Over the last 25 years, my husband and I have had goats, dogs, cats, etc. We also used to have a very very small 501C3 animal rescue. We mostly handled abused and neglected, dogs and cats. Sometimes bottle babies, injured or heartworm positive animals that were in an emergency situation. We sort of became a go-to for a tough cases, because we had the time and desire to see it through. The local animal shelters and vets knew us as such. One day, probably 12 years ago, I got a call from Kansas highway patrol, who got my number from the animal shelter in Gardner, Kansas. I live about an hour north of there, on the opposite side of Kansas City, Missouri. (Yes, I was scratching my head about the leap from there...to ME.) There was a "donkey" running down the interstate, and they had somehow trapped it in someone's fenced area. I cannot even imagine how terrified he was, because they used their sirens and lights to herd him. I knew less than NOTHING about donkeys. But I called my husband, who is now quite literally an angel, and he found a horse trailer, picked me up at work, and we somehow got that "donkey" into the trailer and home. Turns out, he was a mini mule, and I named him Desperado. We just happened to have a very small paddock off of our barn, from the days when we had a couple of goats and a chicken. Desperado was beautiful and I fell very in love with him. But I was also very dedicated to our rescue. And you can't keep your rescue animals. That's where a lot of rescues fail. You can fall in love, but your JOB is to find them a home, not become a hoarder of lovely animals that are adoptable. (Yes, it's kind of a soap box for me, and I humbly recognize where I have failed in that way.) But I digress. It's just important to understand that I could love him, but also let him go. Which I did, months later, to a lovely woman that had a pony and needed a companion for him.
But after he was adopted out, I felt a mini mule sized hole in my life. I had spend hours and hours with Desperado, learning about him, and getting him to trust me. We spent the time and money to get his hooves in better shape, and his body looking great. I regretted letting him go, in the worse kind of way, even knowing that I can't keep a rescue and continue rescuing. My husband told me that our local feed store owner raises mini donkeys, and we got on her list. Do you know what "chicken math" is? Well, sure you do. You just call it "mini math", probably.
So 2 years later, we had 3 mini donkeys. Esperanza (Espy), Jellybean, and Jalapeno. Then I started getting migraines, sometimes daily. After months and months of testing, we discovered that I had allergies. Grass Smut, mold, and equine, among other things. Although I was heartbroken, I didn't see another path forward with my donkeys. We found them truly amazing homes. I am a woman of faith, and I believe God moved in ways that we could not have imagined, finding those donkeys homes where they thrived and were a perfect fit. Years later, I had an opportunity to get a pony. I had been getting twice weekly allergy shots, and had learned a lot about managing my allergies. So we took the chance, and rescued a pony named Tater. He was fantastic. He had a history of laminitis, and I thought we could handle it. "We" could not. My amazingly supportive, drop everything to go pick up a donkey in need of rescue, angel of a husband simply could not leave Tater in his safe pen. Because surely Tater wanted to eat some of that spring clover that was right outside his paddock. I love my husband, but he could not leave Tater where Tater would be healthiest. He wanted Tater to be happy, even if it was short lived. So I found Tater a home where they understood what a dry lot was, and were committed to giving him what he needed, not what he wanted.I only tell you all of that so that you understand that I am a committed donkey owner, with a little experience, but NOT a LOT of experience. And I am now a widow. So I'm searching for the greatest peace I can find here on earth, and that happens to be with animals.
Short version...I have amassed a herd of 3 (I will update this in a follow up post) mini donkeys. Valentino, a now 6 month old spotted white mini boy, who came to me in early December; and shortly after, Cheyenne (10 yrs) and Ariel (8 yrs), both grey, fat all over, needing some professional hoof care and vaccinations, who were in a bit of a rescue situation. They came to me "probably pregnant", after living full time with a jack. They both had babies every year. I shouldn't judge, but I guess I'm going to. Where they lived was lacking. Based on our conversations, I believe she didn't have hay for this winter, and they had been doing their maintenance themselves. I'm all for doing it yourself, but it wasn't done well. Did I buy them? Yes I did. I would do it again, in a heartbeat, especially knowing what this winter was going to be like. I am incredibly thankful that they have shelter here, especially with the extended below-zero cold we've had. I know they are donkeys, and they can handle the cold, snow, and many live wonderful lives without any shelter. I would have made a terrible pilgrim, and I tend to spoil my animals if at all possible.
Valentino is a complete stinker, haha, as you would expect a toddler donkey to be. And I could not love him more. He's absolutely delightful, and very much like my Espy, from days gone by. Cheyenne and Ariel are crabby, due in large part to Valentino. I knew that Valentino needed an adult companion, to teach him, and to be a donkey with. I have 2 lambs, a goat and 4 chickens in my coop by the house, but they would not be suitable companions.
So there's my intro.
I'm going to need a lot of help. I'm willing to learn, and I want to do the right things. I'm very open minded, and I'm not someone that walks around looking for ways to be offended.Suzy
You have had a moving and interesting journey and your donkeys are beautiful! It is wonderful that you all found each other and are building a future together.
