September and October has turned out to be a very busy time for us, as we have had family and friends staying, plus we have been looking after various pets for friends who have been on holiday. But no matter how busy we are we always find time to spend with the donkeys every week at East Axnoller Farm.
September and October has turned out to be a very busy time for us, as we have had family and friends staying, plus we have been looking after various pets for friends who have been on holiday. But no matter how busy we are we always find time to spend with the donkeys every week at East Axnoller Farm.
Our first stop this week was to see a donkey called Harry. He is a very handsome, friendly boy who has recently spent some time in hospital at the main Sanctuary at Slade House Farm. He had been having some treatment for eye and teeth problems, so it was good to welcome him home and give him a big cuddle. We then gave Cassy and Bess a big hug and a brush. They are mother and daughter and they have not lived at this farm for very long, so we always try to make a bit of a fuss of them to make them feel at home. We then gave all the donkeys in this group a cuddle before moving on to another barn.
The first donkey we greeted was Mary, a sweet little brown and white donkey who brought back happy memories of when we began visiting the farm over 17 years ago. In those days we lived in the same village as the only female groom who worked at the farm at that time, and we used to go in most days with her to give her a hand.
On one particular cold winter's morning we arrived to find that Mary had given birth to a beautiful little white female donkey. Mary must have been in foal when she came into the Sanctuary from Ireland, so it was quite a surprise to discover her lovely little foal that day. The foal was named Snowy, as she was white, and if we remember correctly , there actually was snow on the ground at the time. Snowy has had the best start in life a donkey could wish for, and we have been able to watch her grow up with her mother Mary always nearby keeping an eye on her.
A few years ago Snowy was chosen as an adoption donkey for the Sanctuary's sister charity, the Elizabeth Svendsen Trust for Children and Donkeys, at their centre in Ivybridge. Now that her daughter is out in the big wide world, Mary is enjoying a quiet life here on the farm with a small group of donkeys. After saying hello to all Mary's friends in the group, we then moved on to the next barn.
This is the "oldies" group where we gave a big hug to Cliff and Heidy and all their wonderful friends. We love them all, but we have an especially soft spot for a little donkey called Benny. We don't know anything about Benny's past but we have known him for over 17 years and know that he has lived at the Sanctuary for longer than that. We have loved him from the first day we met him.
In those days he was a typical shaggy-coated, loveable, cuddly donkey. He still is, but now that he is a bit older he wears a rug to keep him warm in the cold weather because he has a bit of arthritis now. All the donkeys wear a collar with their name on and a number which indicates how long they have lived at the Sanctuary. The latest donkeys have numbers over 10,000 now. Benny's number is 1,257 which will tell you he has been living in the Sanctuary for donkey's years!
Benny is a quiet, gentle boy happy in his own company and never causes any trouble. He is not a gregarious chap, preferring a quiet, simple life. He is a very special donkey for us and we love him very much. We think he knows this because he always gives us lots of very big nudges and nuzzles when we visit him.
Finally, last but not least, we went into the main barn to find two very lucky beautiful donkeys called Jinny and Jacques to give them a big cuddle. They have only recently come to live at the farm and a few weeks ago we met their very special owners who were visiting them for the first time since their donkeys came to live at the Sanctuary. They told us how they had rescued them from appalling conditions and given them a happy, healthier life after dealing with their many problems . We promised to give their lovely donkeys some special time as we know how much they must be missing them.
These are just a few of the donkeys we have seen today, and we love them all.
