And so Arno bought a baby donkey
Summers in the country bring countless newborns, from long-legged foals to fluffy lambs and tiny frogs perched on window sills seemingly frozen in place. Sadly, many of these babies include puppies and kittens abandoned by their owners, assuming they had owners in the first place.
I find all of these animals cute, adorable, lovable and all that—I even like baby mice—though newborn snakes can challenge my sense of lovey-dovey-ness.
Two days ago by the side of the road we spotted a baby donkey, no more than a few weeks old, and which—without a contest—gets the ribbon for the cutest bugger in the prairie. He seemed to be by itself.
Our neighbor Arno, head of Amigos de Animales, a group that provides low-cost or free spaying and neutering of dogs and cats, also had seen the tiny burro looking lost. Arno has a ranch about the size of ours, seven and a half acres, where he runs a sanctuary for eighty plus dogs, fifteen donkeys, an one-eyed albino mule, plus a half-dozen sheep and God knows what else.
Arno immediately set out to investigate who owned the baby donkey and why he was wandering around on its own. A couple of blah-blahs later, the donkey joined Arno's menagerie. Its mother had died shortly after giving birth, he found out, and her owner didn't care much for the baby donkey, also a female, which was left to fend for itself.
Yes, Arno bought the donkey, for $150 pesos or a little more than ten dollars.
What makes baby donkeys so attractive, if that's the correct description, is hard to describe. The ears are way too big; the bodies come covered with a rough, long, curly fur that hides their eyes; the hooves don't seem big enough to support them so they seem to tip-toe unsteadily. Not a beautiful sight, but one you instinctively want to reach out to and pat on the head, a compliment this girl donkey readily accepts.
Of course, what Arno paid for this animal is but a tiny down payment. Donkeys can live up to thirty years and with the pampering the animals receive at his emporium this one will easily fly past the normal life expectancy.
Yes, a cute critter indeed. No, Stew and I don't have any plans to adopt any donkeys or more of anything right now.
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| Not beautiful but cute indeed. |
Two days ago by the side of the road we spotted a baby donkey, no more than a few weeks old, and which—without a contest—gets the ribbon for the cutest bugger in the prairie. He seemed to be by itself.
Our neighbor Arno, head of Amigos de Animales, a group that provides low-cost or free spaying and neutering of dogs and cats, also had seen the tiny burro looking lost. Arno has a ranch about the size of ours, seven and a half acres, where he runs a sanctuary for eighty plus dogs, fifteen donkeys, an one-eyed albino mule, plus a half-dozen sheep and God knows what else.
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| These babies come equipped with adult-size ears. |
Yes, Arno bought the donkey, for $150 pesos or a little more than ten dollars.
What makes baby donkeys so attractive, if that's the correct description, is hard to describe. The ears are way too big; the bodies come covered with a rough, long, curly fur that hides their eyes; the hooves don't seem big enough to support them so they seem to tip-toe unsteadily. Not a beautiful sight, but one you instinctively want to reach out to and pat on the head, a compliment this girl donkey readily accepts.
Of course, what Arno paid for this animal is but a tiny down payment. Donkeys can live up to thirty years and with the pampering the animals receive at his emporium this one will easily fly past the normal life expectancy.
Yes, a cute critter indeed. No, Stew and I don't have any plans to adopt any donkeys or more of anything right now.
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Precioso..........
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