Forever Home Donkey Rescue

 

 

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UPDATE:  Buster & Chester:  In March 2011 these 2 boys went to their Forever Home.  Buster had been here about 10 years & Chester over 5 years.    Sometimes it takes awhile, but there are good homes out there for almost everyone. 

Buster was given to us after we advertised for free donkeys. A man had gotten Buster for his grandkids & they were afraid of him. He had been in a BLM herd in the Kingman area, captured December 19, 1990 as a 6 month old & put up for adoption. Over the years, he had passed thru many hands & had become suspicious of people. The day we hauled him home in a horse trailer, he was so traumatized by the time we got home, he had rubbed his tail raw & the floor of the trailer was wet from him sweating. He has become more trusting, but still is suspicious of change in his daily routine.

Chester was a roping donkey in with a herd of horses & probably got kicked in the elbow causing lameness.  He was not diagnosed or treated at the time.  After about 6 months his owner figured out he wasn't getting any better & called us.  We picked him up, brought him to the sanctuary & although he had swelling & limped rather badly at times, he settled in & interacted with the herd.  A couple of months after he got here he developed an open abscess on his leg.  We took him to the Equine Centre in Gilbert for surgery to remove infection & bony growth to the elbow  joint.  He has been on antibiotics since November 2007, to get rid of any infection & although he is doing well, these types of joint infections are almost impossible to get rid of.  We will do whatever we can to have a good outcome for him, long term. 

We named him Chester after Dennis Weaver's role in the TV Western, Gunsmoke.  Chester in the show was Marshall Dillon's sidekick, & walked with a limp.  

 

CJ aka (CALAMITY JANE) 1995  CJ is a mini horse that has been chronically foundered for a long time.  Her family decided they weren't making any progress with her feet & relinquished her to us.  She is a very sweet little girl, & even though her feet are probably painful, she is very alert & interacts with people & animals alike.  She chortles anytime you talk to her or come close to her pen, she has a lot of personality, even if she is "ear" challenged. 

UPDATE  In December 2010 C.J. went to her forever home.  Her new dad is a farrier, & will keep her feet trimmed on a regular basis.  Her new companions are a goat, a large mare that isn't too impressed with her, & Moose the thoroughbred that thinks she is wonderful. 

 

BUDDY BRAT & HONCHO:  UPDATE NOV 2010:   These 2 boys went to a new home, with dogs, chickens, goats, & 3 little girls to entertain them.  Honcho has been thru 7 homes since he was taken by the BLM as a baby, if you count the 2 times he's been thru here thru no fault of his own.  Buddy has been here since 2000, & John finally agreed to let him go, when a wonderful home opened up.  This home is with a young family & should be a forever home for these two.

HONCHO 1990:  Honcho is a wonderful donkey with loads of personality.  He was originally a BLM capture from the Lake Pleasant herd north of Phoenix & has been through 5 homes in the last 5 years, because of circumstances.  He needs a forever home with a family that wants a smart curious loveable guy that thinks anything people do is interesting.

 

BUDDY BRAT: 4/10/95:  Buddy is not a true rescue, we bought him as a companion for BlackJack, before we ever thought of doing rescue. He came from a good home, & came with no bad habits, except a great love of food & a very sharp mind that loves to get into trouble. He thinks fly masks are toys & we spend a lot of time in the fly season looking for masks that have been used as toys & discarded somewhere on the property. Buddy came to us with a weight problem & over the years has also developed insulin resistance. He is still overweight & is on an ongoing diet.

 

UPDATE:  In Oct 2010 Remington & Hanna (below), left their foster home & were delivered to their new Forever Home in California.  Their new mom is a small animal vet & they will have acres of grazing & a beautiful barn.  This should be a wonderful long term for these two. 

 

HANNA  2004:  Hanna was adopted from BLM in 2007 as an only donkey.  She was not trained in anyway, although the family took good care of her & she followed them around enjoying attention.  Recently the family got a new dog, that chased Hanna thru a fence, while they were at work.  After that she wouldn't have anything to do with any of them especially the man who was her special friend.  She probably thought he was her leader, & let her down by allowing the dog to hurt her, so no longer trusted him.  

We offered to take her & except for the nipping to get your attention she's well behaved & loves being around people.  Once we work on haltering & other manners she will be ready to go to a new home. 

 

 

Remington Steele AKA Remy - 2005: 

I made the mistake of going to a local  BLM auction with a friend.  We went on Sunday which is leftover day.  They have the auction on Saturday & whatever is left can be bought at a set price on Sunday.  There were no jennies left, only 3 jacks.  Two of the jacks were bonded, so my friend decided to take them & told me I needed to get the other one, so he wouldn't be left alone.  When I got him home & looked him over I discovered that he had been gelded. I called the BLM holding  area up by Kingman, AZ & they checked his records & he was in fact gelded in 2006.  BLM doesn't routinely geld the jacks, & they couldn't tell me why he had been gelded.  They had no record of him being adopted & returned, so it's a mystery with no answer.

 

 

KATIE 2002:  Katie had been given to a feed store as an attraction in a small petting zoo.  She was overweight when she got there, & being kept in a small pen with unlimited hay wasn’t a good situation.  A customer wanted to get her out of there, but was not in position to take her, & got in touch with us.  The owner offered to give Katie to the woman after the woman told him how sick she was going to get if she didn’t lose the weight.  What she didn’t tell him was, Katie was going to a sanctuary  rather than home with her.  She is very sweet & loves people, & will make someone a wonderful companion.

Update:  Katie found her forever home in Oct 2010.  She immediately took responsibility for her new "herd", a 27 year old mare & a 4 year old gelding & has the family also wrapped around her little hooves.  We think she was raised as an orphan, she never really bonded with any of the donkeys here.  When this home was a possibility we agreed to give it a trial & see if she would adjust to not being with other donkeys.  Doesn't seem to be a problem & apparently the whole neighborhood is enthralled with her, when the family takes her & the mare for walks.  

 

 

PALADIN  2007:    I was called by a woman with a real problem.  About 17 months earlier someone had given her a intact jack as a companion for her jenny Lupe.  Twelve months after his arrival, Lupe had a little baby jack.  The woman knew she had a problem, & thought the jenny was probably pregnant again..........!!  She wanted to rehome the big jack & get the little jack gelded & keep him.  But gelding had become so expensive, she couldn't afford it.  She had some ropers that were interested in taking the big jack, which of course is unacceptable.  Rather than have that happen, we said we would take him & find a good home. 

Longhopes Donkey Shelter in Colorado has received a grant to help people geld or euthanize that otherwise couldn't afford it. I got in touch with Kathy Dean the founder, & she said they would pay for getting both jacks gelded. 

The jack has been unhandled, so we took 4 other helpers with us to get him in the trailer.  Imagine our surprise when with some coaching, he actually hopped in the trailer.  He obviously didn't know he already had a date with the vet, for the next day to be gelded.  The vet was prepared with a dart gun, if we needed it.  But he turned out to be very mellow for such a young donkey.  

He will stay in a pen for about a month, just to make sure he can no longer be a daddy.  I will work with him while he's in the pen & hopefully he'll be ready for a new home soon.  He came with no name, so I named him Paladin.   

We will also make arrangements to get the little guy gelded.  He's about 5 months old & still with his mom, which will be less stressful than waiting until he is older.

UPDATE:  In March 2010 Paladin went to his new home.  He has a new buddy named Mr. Hershey & a horse named Comet.  After a rocky start of too rough play, things settled down quickly & when he isn't playing with Mr. Hershey, he likes to stand with Comet in his large stall in the shade. 

 

GUS  1997:   In November 2007 we hauled Gus from a ranch over by Arivaca, where he had become a nuisance.  I knew of a woman that wanted a companion for her donkey Chili.  So we delivered Gus, but a few months later the owner had health problems & we not only took Gus back, but Chili came with him. 

Once they were here we found out that Gus would rather hang with the mules & horse than donkeys.  We found a wonderful home for Chili & at the Open House in 2008, Gus & a visitor developed a relationship thru the fence. The man had a horse than needed a companion, so Gus headed for a new home again. 

Recently Gus' owner has developed some serious health problems & he asked to return Gus.  So Gus thru no fault of his own is now looking for another home.  Hopefully when he finds one, this time it will be permanent.

UPDATE:  In March of 2010 Gus went to his new & I hope forever home.  He will have 3 geldings as friends, & a teenage girl to entertain him & they were excited to have him join their family.  We will miss him, Gus is one of those that finds ways to entertain himself, in many different ways......some good & some not so good.  But it was always done with style & flair...............!!!!

 

 

JUDY1985 

Judy has gone back to her owner now that her health problems are managed. She’s a riding mule, that has been having health problems for quite awhile. We know she is severely Insulin Resistant, which is like diabetes & with the proper diet can be controlled. She also has Cushings disease, which can also be controlled with medication.  Her owner had been trying to help her on his own for a few years and was so frustrated that he was ready to give up.  We were her last resort.  Her owner is very happy to have her home, and we think she's happy to be home too!

 

 

Rocky:  

We recently got a call from Rocky's owner asking if we could take him back, after 3 years.

Rocket Man, i.e. Rocky came to us in 2005 with his Mom.  They had been on a dude ranch for the tourists to play with, but had become very spoiled & were going to auction. 

We found him a good home, but the recent downturn in the economy, combined with higher prices for almost everything, including hay is taking it's toll on equine ownership nationwide.  Rocky's owner lost her job due to downsizing & doesn't know if or when she will find another one.  She wanted to make sure Rocky was taken care of & signed him over to us. 

He has a wonderful personality, very people orientated & is looking for a new Forever Home.......!!!!!!!   

UPDATE:  In April 2009, Rocky went to his new home to be a companion for Harley.  The boys look like twins, are about the same age, & are young enough to spend a lot of time playing, which is so much fun to watch.  Being trained to pull a cart as a team might be in their future.

 

 

Chili:  1997 ?  

I got a call from a woman down by Elfrieda that had recently lost a jenny to colic.  Her other donkey was very lonely & she was looking for him a companion.  We didn't have any adoptable donkeys here, but I knew of one that was on a ranch over by Arivaca that had become a nuisance & they wanted him gone.  We made arrangements to pick Gus up & deliver him to Elfrieda to be Chili's companion.  A few months later the woman had to move into town to take care of her elderly mother & asked if we could take care of the boys for awhile.  After almost a year her situation hadn't changed & we knew by then that Chili & Gus didn't particularly care for each other, so it wasn't important for them to stay together.  We found a good home for Gus in Dec 2008.  Chili is still here, opening gates when we forget to double lock them.  He is a smart boy & has a wonderful personality, although sometimes he can be a brat.  He likes the girls more than boys, so we will keep on the look out for a nice young lady, for him to take home when he goes.   

Chili update:

Chili's owner of 10 years  developed health problems before he returned home & released him to us for adoption.  In February 2009 he went to a wonderful home with people that will appreciate his quick mind & lack of personal responsibility for his actions.  Tirza was rehomed with him.  She also has a quick mind & curiosity, so the new owner will have a lifetime of trying to stay one step ahead of them.

 

TWINKY:  

Sept 2007  A woman called wanting to find a home for a little donkey she bought in Dec 2007.  Twinky was very young to be weaned & her new home had no donkeys although there were 2 horses.  The horses rejected the baby donkey & wanted nothing to do with her, so she ended up in a pen by herself.  The woman knew this wasn't a good situation & wanted to find a home that was a better fit.  Normally we wouldn't have taken her, because she is healthy & very marketable, although we would have helped to find her a home.  But since she was so young when she was weaned, & hasn't been around donkeys since, she needs to learn to be a donkey.  We'll give her some time to learn donkey manners & then look for her a Forever Home of her own.  

UPDATE:   In June 2008, Twinkie went to her new home with 3 other jennies.  This is a  home, with people that take wonderful care of all their animals & she should slip right into the "herd".  She is going to have a name change though.  The other girls all have Spanish names, such as Frijolita I.E. Little Bean.  So Twinkie is going to become Spanish for Little Cookie. 

Twinkie (aka) Galleta Dulce (aka) Tirza update: (2/09)

The family that adopted her in July are having some health problems & when this wonderful lifetime home became available for her & Chili, they agreed to rehome her.  This little girl isn't 2 years old yet, & has already been in 5 homes & had 3 names.  The new owner is a young woman & plans to grow old with these two.  

 

 

SHILOH: 1998?

We bought Shiloh, sight unseen from an ad in the paper for an $ 85 donkey in March 2004. He is another one that has been traumatized & has shut down. The man we bought him from, got him at an auction as a package deal with a mule. He wanted the mule, but not the donkey, so advertised Shiloh in the paper. Shiloh has had his throat torn out, probably from an aggressive horse or donkey. He’s also been kicked in the mouth, & has teeth that are embedded in his gums, & scarring on his muzzle. He wants nothing to do with any type of restraint. He’s very gentle & his only defense is to escape. He’s never kicked or been aggressive in any way.  Shiloh went to his new family in March of 2008.

 

 

BELLE: 1997  

Belle was given to us in 2006 because her family could no longer take care of the habronema infestation on her face & legs.  She came in with bloody wounds on her face where she had rubbed because of the intense itching.  We started treatment immediately & she steadily improved throughout the fly season.  In 2007 she had no further problems, so we started looking for a home that would appreciate how well mannered & gentle she is.  Shiloh had chosen her as his special friend, so they would have to go together.  In March of 2008 a couple that had never had donkeys were interested in adopting, & decided that Belle & Shiloh were perfect.  They settled in immediately, & have 3 acres of pasture to graze & a family that thinks they are special. 

 

 

 

 

Punkin - 2001? 

Punkin came in with her mother, Lucy in 2003. Punkin was still nursing & had a heavy load of worms. We found a good home for them with a BLM gelding that had been by himself for a few years. A few months later we took Lucy back because she needed surgery. By this time Punkin had grown up & decided she liked her new boyfriend better than being a "momma's girl" anyway, so I'm not sure she ever missed Lucy. Besides her boyfriend, she also shares a large field with a couple of young cattle that were saved from being veal. They all get along very well, except feeding time gets a little wild sometimes.

 

 

Dixie Doodle, SusyQ, Falena and Rocket Man (Rocky)

We were notified about 4 donkeys on a ranch down by Sasabe that were going to be taken to auction to get rid of them.  They had been captured up in the mountains when the 2 babies were very small & brought down to a guest ranch for the tourists to "play" with.  In fact SusyQ was so young they brought her down laying across a saddle, because she couldn't keep up.  Putting tourists & cute fuzzy donkey babies with their moms together makes for some spoiled donkeys.  The ranch didn't mind that, but when they started spending a lot of time on the porches eating the wooden chairs, they wore out their welcome. 

They were all very tame & easy to work with, although SuzyQ was rather excitable & liked to rear & buck, not always paying attention to where she was at or if anyone was in the line of fire. 

Rocky was gelded & went to a new home locally.  His mom Falena & the other two girls went to The Wild Burro and Donkey Foundation of Central Texas Inc in 2005 & as of 2008, are still there.   

 

 

 

BENNIE & NINA:  

In 2006 a woman called needing a home for 2 donkeys.  She had recently been annexed into Gilbert & had too many equines on her property for the new zoning.  These were young donkeys 4 to 5 years old, she had bought to get them out of being used as roping donkeys.  Although they were both healthy, at sometime in her life, Nina's nostril had been ripped open & not treated.  She also has very poor quality rear feet, either from birth or poor hoof care.  Although we usually don't take healthy donkeys, we thought Nina's nose defect probably would make her worthless to a lot of people, & she might end up back as a roping donkey or worse.  The woman wanted them to stay together, which meant healthy Bennie was part of the package deal. 

 

We brought them home, started working on her feet & figured they would be here for a long time.  Nina was rather shy, but Bennie never saw a stranger & was an immediate hit, when tours came out to visit the donkeys. 

 

I got a call from a woman wanting a couple of donkeys to add to her family.   After talking to her on the phone, this sounded like a home that might work for Bennie & Nina.  She made arrangements to come out for a visit.  When she & her husband drove up, & got out of the car, Bennie & Nina left the hay bunk, & came over to greet them.  That cinched the deal, the people went home & started preparing a place for these two.  By the time we delivered them, a mini mule named Lucy had moved in & not long afterwards Rosie another donkey added to the herd.  They have 17 acres to roam on, & a wonderful lifetime home.   

 

 

Jacko

I got a call from a woman in Tucson wanting a companion for a donkey.  He had been with a couple of horses, but was now by himself.  They came out to see if we had any adoptable donkeys that would fit into their family.  After talking to them for awhile, I thought they might be interested in finding Jack a new home, rather than adding another animal to their busy schedule. 

I knew of a woman that needed a new friend for her donkey.  She had 2 donkeys & 2 horses, but a mountain lion had killed her jenny a few weeks earlier.  She was absolutely devastated & so was Tio.  She was looking for another jenny, but was willing to try a boy. 

His name was Jack, while he was here we called him JackD for donkey, because we already had a JackM for mule. 

Tio was so excited the day we delivered him & they have become the best of friends.  This is a wonderful lifetime home, with people that love their animals & will do whatever necessary to make sure they receive any care needed. 

His name is now officially Jacko.   Thanks to Laura for the picture!

 

 

SUGAR:  

In April 2007 I got a call from a woman whose neighbor had this little girl for sale.  He had bought her at auction to use as a roping donkey.  One of his neighbor's bought a roping machine, so he wanted to get rid of her. She was only about a year old & cute as she could be.  This woman didn't have the money to buy her, & was afraid she would stay in the roping community.   We drove down to Elfrida southeast of us & bought her sight unseen.  I'm glad he never roped her, because she is the nosiest, most curious, donkey we've ever had.  She helps us do everything.  If she sees us outside, she'll usually come to see what we are doing.  She also has no fear.  We came home one day & she had a large patch of hair missing from her butt.  She seems to think Max, the horse is a big brother & doesn't realize he doesn't like donkeys to get close to him. 

In January 2008, Sugar went to a wonderful home, with Jacque, who had only had horses as friends for a few years.  As I understand it, she has moved in & pretty much showed Jacque how it's going to be.  Typical jenny behavior, even a young one. 

 

MOLLY:  

We got a panic call one day about this little mule, which incidentally is just as cute as her picture.  The woman got her at auction for $55.00.  At the weaning age of 5 months she was loaded on a trailer in South Dakota with a bunch of other little mules & hauled to Arizona to auction.  By the age of 6 months she had been thru 2 auctions, when this woman bought her.  The woman wanted something to protect her mini horses. 

A few day later the new owner noticed liquid & feces dripping from her belly.  Molly had 3 fistulas in her belly that now were infected.  She had probably jumped over something sharp & punctured her belly.  The vet wanted to put her down, but the owner refused.  The surgery didn't go without problems, at one time they had over 5 gallons of intestines that really needed to be in her abdominal cavity, rather than in a bucket.  She spent 15 days on the ground, except when the people would raise her up with a rigging they attached to the back of their pickup.  (Thanks to Anita for this picture) Once she was healthy she had a lot of energy & the woman's fences weren't as effective for a yearling mule, as they were for mini horses.  She got in with the woman's expensive little stallion & she decided that Molly had to go before someone got hurt.  After that faux'pau, Molly had to live in a stock trailer for a few days until the woman called us & we agreed to take her.  She is a pocket mule, everything is interesting & whatever people are doing is REALLY interesting.  She finally wormed her way into the inner circle of horses & mules.  They kept running her off, but she kept at it until they gave up, & let her hang around with them. 

We took her to the Equine Clinic in Gilbert for evaluation to make sure everything was OK, & where it belonged before trying to find her a new home.  She passed inspection, & what scar tissue she has, is back by her hind legs, & wouldn't interfere with a saddle or harness.  She certainly doesn't seem to have anything wrong with her. 

In late in 2007, I put out the word we were looking for her a home, & had lots of interest in her.  It's not often a young mule with this much personality is available.   I chose a wonderful home down by Tubac on a 160 acre farm with lots of animals, people & interesting things going on, to keep her little mind busy.  She came out of the trailer, when we delivered her like she owned the place & never looked back.  She is being worked with every day, & taken for walks by many different people. She is going to have a wonderful life, after such a terrible start. 

 

 

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