Babies and Donkeys

We are often asked how the donkeys are around children. Of course, we do not suggest that children are allowed around them unattended, but people are often surprised how gentle a miniature donkey really is. Since our grandbabies have been around our animals often, they are comfortable with our donkeys and our donkeys seem to recognize them. There is curiosity from both sides when they visit the pasture. The animals crowd close by, maybe in hopes of a treat or a nice pat or two. The babies are very interested and seem to have no fear, even when they have a donkey's face coming in close for a look.

I tried to imagine during a recent visit from our grandchildren how large the animals must appear to them and how small the little ones must appear to our animals! On one of our stroller walks into the pasture, we stopped to watch as the donkeys came up to see us. One of our mature jennets, Tori, came very close, stopped and studied them. Our granddaughter instinctively knew to be very quiet, raised her arm slowly and waited, as if she was inviting Tori to come a little bit closer. Some form of communication took place because Tori thought about it, then as our granddaughter's small hand waited, she leaned in just close enough to be reached, and stood perfectly still. It was very sweet to see a toddler gently and quietly patting a donkey.

We hope our grandchildren will grow up knowing and respecting animals and that they will make some good and lasting memories along the way.

Rain, Rain Don't Go Away

After two long summers with drought conditions, we are thrilled to be blessed with some rain this summer. The grass is growing and, except for their dust bath areas, the fields are green, which is good news for our grazing animals. Due to the fact that miniature donkeys get fat easily, we try to refrain from feeding much supplemental feed and rely on good grass in the summer months. The rain is welcome and the animals don't seem to mind being wet.

It is interesting to see how they react when it rains. Some continue to graze, as if they didn't notice the rain, others stand under trees, or go into a shed if the rain comes down hard. We have never quite figured out why they go where they do, but they seem to have favorite spots. At times, it is frustrating to see them standing in pouring rain, rather than going into to a nice, dry shed. But, they decide and we don't try to change their minds. We have noticed the same ones go to the sheds, no matter which field they are in, while others refuse to go in a shed, so it must be 'personal preference,' not unlike humans. Wherever they go, we are so thankful for the rain and hope it continues throughout the summer, providing us with green fields and happy donkeys.