Written by Michelle Peters
Donkeys may not be the easiest pet to hide on campus, but for students, lucky enough to live on a bit of land, they may be just the friend you’re after.
Last year, when I purchased my first home, a hobby farm with my fabulous partner (now, fiancé, yay!) I was overjoyed that I could finally own animals without the fear of upsetting a landlord.
First, we adopted our dog, Atlas. Atlas is an Irish Wolfhound, crossed with lap dog (or so he would try to convince you). He has taken up his spot on the couch and a place in our hearts.
Perhaps, a little more out of the ordinary for most though, were our purchase of two (soon to be three!) donkeys.
The idea wasn’t altogether crazy to our household. You see, I have been crazy about donkeys since I can remember. But I never really allowed myself to believe I would ever own any. But when my partner and I went to look at three for sale, we both fell in love and decided to make the leap.
Now, we have two gorgeous donkeys grazing our paddocks and providing endless joy, while the third is being weaned, as well as being trained to be lead.
But what’s it like to own donkeys?
The most important thing to remember about owning donkeys, is that they are smart. I mean unbelievably, incredibly smart. And if you’re anything like me, and you read a lot about them, you will have seen that many times, and perhaps roll your eyes a bit, thinking, yes alright, we get it. But it’s impossible to understand if you haven’t spent a lot of time with them. I learnt the hard way that they can quickly work out how to open a gate and escape the paddock.
They take a while to warm up to you and their new environment. As a lifelong donkey lover, when they arrived, but wouldn’t come within fifty metres of me, I was devastated, to say the least.
“It will take time,” Robyn, the previous owner had told me, as she passed me the reins.
As time went on though, I found myself feeling increasingly upset about the distance. How could something I had dreamed about since I was childhood have gone so wrong?
Each day, I would go to them, sit on a chair and just read. And one day, sick of merely watching, they finally approached.
That was it. The beginning of growing a special bond.
Now, I am greeted, as I walk from the house down to the paddocks by them trotting over, butting each other out of the way to get a cuddle (gently!). Often, I bring treats, like carrots, strawberries, but often it’s enough just to get a scratch behind their ears, which are remarkably soft (in case you didn’t know.)
They are surprisingly easy to look after. Donkeys are naturally desert animals, so they don’t require huge amounts of food. Of course, there are things you need to do to ensure they are healthy, but they are hardy animals and require much less than I had expected.
I am now guaranteed to go outdoors daily too, rain, hail or shine. Even if I have such a busy day that I must wake up before the sun comes up just to spend time with them, I make sure I do it.
In short, these wonderful animals have brought a huge amount of joy to my life, and I continue to learn new things about them every day.
Charlie blog is a SSAF funded initiative.
