Today is a special day for two very special donkeys. Not only are Rubin and Alan en route to their fantastic new foster home in Cheshire, but they are also the 150th and 151st donkeys this year to go out to loving, private homes as part of The Donkey Sanctuary’s foster scheme.

Seven-year-old Rubin (the gorgeous brown donkey in the picture), came to The Donkey Sanctuary in November 2007, and was joined by two-year-old Alan (the stunning skewbald) in April last year. The pair have been inseparable ever since.

Yesterday I went with Michael Crane, the Sanctuary’s Head of Welfare, to give the donkey duo a ‘bon voyage’ hug and scratch behind the ears. Sparkling clean after a bath to make sure they were all spruced up and looking their best for their new home, Rubin and Alan greeted us with enthusiasm – I can see that they are going to love all the attention that their foster owners will be able to give them.

Rubin, Alan, and the 149 donkeys and mules that have preceded them this year are just some of the many animals enjoying life in private homes through The Donkey Sanctuary’s foster scheme. As part of the scheme, fit and healthy younger donkeys relinquished to the charity are given the opportunity to experience the individual love and attention that a private home can provide. From the visits I have made with our welfare officers to foster homes this year, I cannot emphasise enough how much happiness the scheme brings to long-ears and two-leggeds alike, and wish Rubin, Alan and their new owners all the best for an amazing future together!

To find out more about fostering donkeys with The Donkey Sanctuary, please visit our fostering section here on the website.