World Donkey Day!

Imagine my surprise when I discovered that today, May 8, is World Donkey Day! What an amazing animal to honour! Those who know me know how much I love donkeys. They are so gentle, curious, and expressive. 

We used to have a donkey in our neighbourhood. His name was Jingles and he lived by himself in a paddock beside his owner's house. When Scooter was younger we called him 'The Lone Donkey' but later on the owner put out a sign telling us that Jingles was his name.

Every year on my birthday, we'd make a point of visiting Jingles and bring him a nice, big carrot.

The last time we visited, once he heard the car door slam, he came running full tilt to see what we had brought him. I'm pretty sure he had lots of other visitors who brought him treats.

Then we didn't see him any more - assuming Jingles had either died or had gone to another owner or a donkey sanctuary. His paddock became overgrown and then we noticed the house was unoccupied. Both the house and the barn have been levelled since then. I miss having Jingles so close.

Then we discovered a very cool donkey farm on a country road in north Oshawa. We would often visit the animals there on our way home from Port Perry. There were over a  dozen, including babies. 

They, too, enjoyed carrot treats and long grass we'd pull up from the roadside. I still drive by there from on the way down from the north but there don't seem to be many donkeys there anymore.

Before visiting local donkeys, Skip and I visited the Donkey Sanctuary of Canada in Puslinch ON on our way back from the Sarnia area or after visiting Skip's brother in Guelph. 

There, they care for dozens of donkeys, hinnies (horse dad and donkey mom),  and mules (donkey dad and horse mom) that were unwanted, neglected, abused, or their owners could no longer care for them properly. They peacefully live out the rest of their days receiving the proper food, shelter, and medical care they need.

On one of our Crystal cruises to the southern Caribbean, I learned there was a donkey sanctuary in Bonaire, one of the ABC islands we visited (Aruba, Bonaire, Curaçao) and a special municipality of the Netherlands. 

At the time they were caring for over 600 donkeys, many of whom were brought there in sad shape. This blog post explains a lot about the sanctuary and our visit there.

Closer to home, we have the PrimRose Donkey Sanctuary outside of Roseneath ON. They hold several fund-raising events. Marilyn and I attended a 'tea' and toured the facility a few years back.

Donkey sanctuaries are lovely, peaceful places where these amazing animals are cared for in every way. They're a great place to bring yourselves, children, and grandchildren for a visit.

These sanctuaries can always use your donations.

Happy World Donkey Day! Hee Haw!