ting and company
until one has loved an animal, a part of one's soul remains unawakened
- Anatole France
We would like you to meet the
Fantastic Beasts
Every animal that has found its way to us has come with a story.
May
May was born on May 24th, 1995. She was with us on our wedding day before any of this silly donkey rescuing began. As long as we understood that she was better than the donkeys, peace reigned through the land. Horses, donkeys and zebras are the only species in the genus Equus. They are very different from each other, both in personality and in requirements for care. May's exceptionally strong herd mentality had her rely on the donkeys for a feeling of connection and survival, much to her chagrin. She was bossy and powerful, kind and intuitive. She survived the Burrito love-attack and she loved her Polo mints. She lived for 27 years, leaving us in December of 2022. We miss her.
Cinnamon
Cinnamon was born on July 16th, 1997 and came to live with us in 2003. She was our first donkey. We didn't know what we were doing way back then, treating her like she was a horse, but we made a commitment to her and we have spent the many years since learning and working hard to take good care of her and the others that followed. These big furry beasts have become our passion - our life's work beyond our classrooms. It's "all for the love of donkeys". And Cinnamon is where it all began. She is kind and snuggly and the sweetest donkey. She was diagnosed with Cushings Disease and takes medication daily to maintain her cortisol levels. She stays in the barn every night now, keeping Huey company. And she makes us smile every day.
Nana-April
Nana-April was born on April 18th, 2006 near Cambray and she came to live with us soon afterwards. She is a miniature donkey. She is named after Pam's Nana-January (grandmother) who was born in Londonderry, Northern Ireland in 1913. When we travelled to Ireland in 2004 in search of Nana-January's home, we also visited our first donkey sanctuary. Nana-April has the cross on her back like many of the donkeys we saw there, so she became our furry connection to Ireland. Nana-April has travelled once since her arrival at our home - to Schomberg to meet her namesake on Mother's Day 2007. That was an adventure!
Nana-April is cute and sweet but don't underestimate her because she is small. She can stand her ground when she needs to - and will not hesitate to hoof the others in the chest if she isn't getting her way.
Kirby
Kirby was born on April 3rd, 1993 and came to live with us in June 2008 with her soulmate, Huey. They had been living at a menagerie of a farm near Trenton, Ontario which had become too much for the woman trying to care for them. Their previous owners took it upon themselves to transport Huey and Kirby away from that uncertainty to our home. Kirby was a spotted ass, had the longest bray, and, it turned out, was the matriarch and leader of the herd. This became apparent that famous day in 2010 when the then four donkeys tiptoed their way through the barn, down the driveway, taking a hard left onto the road and another left at the stop sign. We learned that day that if we put a lead on Kirby and asked her to come with us, everyone else would follow. Kirby left us in the winter of the beginning of 2019. The donkeys all came to the funeral - we think mostly for the food.
Huey
Huey was born on June 1st, 1997 and came to live with us in June 2008 with is partner, Kirby. They learned to live together with May, Cinnamon, and Nana-April, becoming a family. Huey is a gentle donkey with great strength and determination. His trademark crooked legs are what he has always known. He is usually puzzled by the concern they seem to cause some of us two-leggeds. As the years have passed, the angle of his deformity has increased. He moved into his bachelor pad in the barn so he wouldn't have to deal with the snow and mud that can make walking difficult. With the help of Christina and Brian, his farriers, and Dr. Cory, his vet, he lives a full and wonderful life. He gets his warm bowl of soaked Purina Senior every morning and evening, sometimes decorated with apple slices in the shape of a flower.
Milton
Milton was born on July 23rd, 1995 and came to live with us in 2014 with Jellybean, Sadie, and Audrey. He was a mammoth donkey, so was rather daunting in his size, but when he came to us, he was scared of his own shadow. We don't know how this gentle giant became so afraid of us humans. He came to us to teach us about patience and trust and love. Thanks to our "donkey angels", Kim and Chris, we learned how to help Milton find his courage. We spent hours with him and saw the change in him every day. He learned to snuggle into a hug and even let Christina and Wally pick up his hooves to trim them. The day he decided to try to make friends with a porcupine set him back a bit in the trusting of humans as the vet pulled each quill out, one at a time. But he always came back to love. We lost him in 2023 and he left a mammoth-sized hole in our hearts.
Jellybean
Jellybean was born on August 12th, 2002 and came to live with us 2014 with the group we were gifted from Cameron, Ontario. Their owners were moving on and the donkeys all needed a new home. We found space in our world and in our hearts for them. It was a lot all at once - even getting them to our place. Jellybean is a standard donkey but smaller than average. She is a beautiful silver colour like Milton was. As it turned out, less than a year after Jellybean's arrival, we started to suspect she was pregnant. A male donkey from the group named Andy was fertile as were all of the females, so we knew there was a chance. Andy was wild and we weren't able to safely get him to come with the others. The gestation period for a donkey is 11-14 months and it is often difficult to tell they are pregnant. By the time we figured it out and got her set up in the barn, she was ready to give birth. Tingalayo is her beautiful son and Jellybean is his beautiful and fully capable mother. She is as much warrior as she is gentle and she is truly loved.
Sadie
Sadie was born on May 8th, 1984 and came to live with us in 2002 with the rest of the gang from Cameron. Just before they arrived, Sadie had given birth to her daughter Audrey. Remember the fruitful, Andy? Well he also had his way with Sadie. Sadie was a scrapper. She was a fearless mother with scratches on her nose and an attitude that was not to be messed with. She was a strong role model for Audrey and we see her quiet confidence and protective nature in her daughter every day. Sadly, Sadie passed away in the fall of 2002. She was much older than we had been told and had a heart murmur, often seen in inbred donkeys. She wasn't with us for long, but she taught us a lot, brought us our amazing vet, and gave us beautiful Audrey.
Audrey
Story on its way...
Tingalayo
Story on its way...
Burrito
Story on its way...