Miniature donkeys are so cute and personable that people may tend to think of them as they would any other pet and forget that they are equines with needs very similar to horses. Unfortunately, donkeys of all sizes can end up in homes that are unequipped or unable to care for them properly. That is when Little Long Ears Miniature Donkey Rescue comes in.
Valarie Lowe is a former “A” circuit hunter/jumper trainer who retired as an equestrian professional in 2010. She became a realtor, and with her wife Cheryl Pokorny, a high school physical education teacher, moved to a 15-acre horse farm in Westminster, MD.
Their first experience with donkeys came around 2012 when they purchased a pair of donkeys as company for the retired show horses on the farm. They found Nestor and Sassafras for sale on Craigslist and were told the donkeys had been rescued from a New Jersey auction. Before that, they were unaware of the terrible fate facing unwanted donkeys who are purchased by killer buyers at the auctions. After lots of research and self-education and seeing that there were few rescues that were available to help donkeys, they founded the non-profit organization Little Long Ears Miniature Donkey Rescue in 2013.
When you get to know a donkey, you will find them fun and friendly, which makes them popular. “Donkeys in general are almost more dog-like than equine-like in some ways. They’re super affectionate, and they crave attention. They follow us all over the pastures and paddocks,” Little Long Ears co-founder Valarie Lowe said.
Donkeys, however, have special needs that owners must be aware of. Popularity and overbreeding along with buyers’ lack of education leads to trouble.
“So many people who choose donkeys don’t have equine experience. Whether they have goats or sheep or cattle or none of the above, they don’t have the equine education,” Lowe said. “My recommendation is, don’t even think about getting a donkey if you don’t already have a horse. You should not be getting yourself a donkey or a pony or a horse if you do not already have equine experience. To say you will learn as you go – equines are much more complicated animals. Their medical issues and their hoof issues are just more complicated. The animal is going to suffer for their lack of education.”
Like all equines, donkeys need regular hoof care, vaccinations, and dental care. Far too often the rescue finds donkeys with long upturned hooves that clearly have not been trimmed.
“When we take them in we find terribly foundered donkeys, terribly obese donkeys because somebody doesn’t know better. Anyone could look at that (turned up hooves) and know it’s not right and not normal,” Lowe said.
A substantial number of the donkeys that come to the rescue are from homes where the owners are elderly. They may be physically unable to care for them or simply not mobile enough to see them every day and realize there are problems growing.
“I Don’t Do Donkeys”
Horsemen might hesitate to own a donkey because they have heard bad things about their temperament, or their farrier does not want to deal with one. “It’s very common for farriers to say ‘I don’t do donkeys’. Most of the donkeys out there are not well behaved.
“It becomes an ever-viscous cycle.” Lowe said. “Donkeys who belong to good horsemen are as good about having their hooves done as horses. So many donkey owners have not put in the time or effort on the relationship.”
Sometimes the ways that donkeys differ from horses can lead to trouble even when owners have equine experience.
“Donkeys must be cared for like equines, and their diet has to be managed just as you would for a founder-prone pony,” Lowe said.
Horse owners may think it would be a nice idea to get a donkey to keep their horse company in the pasture, but donkeys should not be out on grass. With a lush pasture available donkeys can easily founder and quickly become overweight. Instead, they are best housed on a large dry lot with a diet of hay, occasionally joining the horses on pasture for very short periods, or in the winter when the grass is gone.
“Donkeys have to have their diet very strictly monitored,” Lowe advised. “While they need space to run around and play and exercise they cannot be allowed to be on an acre of pasture all the time. We won’t adopt out unless they have a dry lot and an option to let them out on pasture.”
Donkeys are social creatures, that like to have a friend with them and room to play. Lowe recommends that if you adopt a donkey, take two.
One of the myths Lowe wants to dispel is that donkeys are good protectors of livestock. Donkeys bought as guard animals are often the most neglected animals that come to the rescue.
“It’s a donkey’s natural instinct to protect their pasture. People have seized on that and used that instinct and think it is good to use that donkey to protect the sheep, or goats or cattle. A donkey is no match against a pack of anything. They are just as much at risk of being attacked,” Lowe said. “We don’t believe that is what they should be used for. Typically, the people who use them as guards are not equine people and don’t take care of them. We see it all the time. He doesn’t care about the donkey, he cares about the sheep.”
Worse yet, guard donkeys are often uncastrated jacks who become frustrated without one of their own species with them. “They will easily kill the livestock they are supposed to be protecting. It’s not natural for them.” Lowe said. “So many of these donkeys end up at the auctions as failed guards.”
As the need has arisen, Little Long Ears Rescue has expanded to help standard donkeys and even mammoth donkeys.
“We try to focus on the miniatures because they’re so over-bred. There is definitely an over population of miniature donkeys,” Lowe said, adding that some large herds have been among their rescues. “They seem to be in vast numbers when we find a neglect case.”
Donkeys come into the rescue in several ways. Owners may realize they no longer want to deal with their donkey and look for a place to give it away. In cases of abuse, Little Long Ears works with animal protection agencies to take in abused and neglected animals, and sometimes, donkeys are rescued by purchase from the livestock auctions.
“We are one of the only rescues that focuses on donkeys in the area,” Lowe said. “There’s not a lot of donkey rescues. They’re the forgotten equine.”
When a donkey comes into Little Long Ears, it is evaluated and given medical and hoof care. Many have not been handled or socialized, so training is needed before they are suitable to place for adoption.
“The ones that don’t (act friendly) are the ones that have had a really troubled past and have either been abused or have reason to fear humans. Once they’re socialized they’re so friendly, and that’s why people enjoy having them as pets,” Lowe said.
Equine Experience Required
The rescue places donkeys in homes that have equine experience, where the adoptive home is equipped to meet their needs.
“When we’re adopting out to people, if they can’t easily halter and lead the donkeys, or bend over and pick up their feet, we’re not going to let them adopt our donkeys,” Lowe said. “All the donkeys that come to us, whether they are totally wild and unhandled, get hoof care, veterinary care, and socialization. We won’t adopt them out unless they are pet ready for the average individual owner,” Lowe said.
Every donkey at the rescue has a story of its own, and sometimes, they have trouble recovering from the situations they have survived. Those individuals need more work and a special home.
“Sometimes we get a really experienced horseman, or a professional trainer. They might be able to take one of our more challenging issues. The vast majority of the people who come to us are not professionals. The middle of the road is your average horse person, who is not a trainer. We won’t adopt out a donkey to them that is not ready,” Lowe said.
An adoption fee is charged. The new homes need to be located within a three-hour drive of Little Long Ear’s base near Westminster, MD.
The more donkeys that are adopted out, the more donkeys Little Long Ears can rescue. In addition to new homes, the non-profit rescue is always looking for volunteers and financial support. For more information follow the rescue on Facebook at Little Long Ears Miniature Donkey Rescue or visit www.littlelongears.org.