Welcome to Willow and Springfield

I promised to blog about the new donkeys, and here they are.

We were utterly delighted to adopt Willow, and her son Springfield, on Monday evening. Springfield is gelded. They have been on a foster farm since they were seized from a neglect situation, and have been gaining weight and improving their condition. After some months of recovery, they were ready for adoption, and here they will have their forever home.

When I lived in Canada, I used to volunteer at the Canadian Donkey Sanctuary. I cleaned stables and socialized with the donkeys and always enjoyed my interactions with them. I have also visited the enormous donkey sanctuary in Devon, England, which is a delightful sanctuary to visit, even though it is sad to think that so many donkeys need a loving home. I think donkeys tend to be left out in fields with other livestock and are often ignored. They need loving care just like other animals, and have distinct, individual personalities.


So far, Willow and Springfield have settled in well with our llamas and Nubian goats. They seem to spend much of their time near the llamas. Perhaps because they all have long ears?!
Willow has a habit of braying, very loudly, in the morning when she first sees us come outside. Well, I say its a habit - it's only been 2 days, but she did it both days!

They are Sicilian donkeys, which means they are small in stature. Some people call them miniature donkeys. Here's a picture of Kelly with Springfield, so you can get a sense of their size.
When we were picking up our donkey pair, the Animal Rescue League also had, to our delight, a pigeon! We decided that he also needed a good home with us, so we adopted him at the same time. I named him Tarquin. He is very sweet natured and tolerates handling very well. He even sits on my shoulder! He was picked up in downtown Des Moines because he was approaching humans and seemed very tame. The possibility of animal cruelty was a concern, since he was so comfortable with people. Therefore, he was taken to the shelter to await our arrival and of course, we could not pass him up!
So, we welcome Tarquin, Willow, and Springfield, with open arms and open hearts. May they have long and happy lives here on our farm.