“Fine, we’ll come look, but we aren’t bringing them home.”
Famous last words.
Back in October 2012, the idea of having a sanctuary someday was already on our minds, but at the time, it was still just a dream. We were busy learning to ride horses, training our young donkeys, and still working on turning what used to be a grain farm into a horse ranch. That was when we were offered a mini donkey and a goat.
They had both been at a petting zoo that closed down. The pair had gone to a good home, but the goat was causing trouble. He had learned that if he threatened children, they would throw treats at him and run away. He continued this bad behaviour in his new home, and she couldn’t keep him because of it. The problem was that the goat, Nigel, and the donkey, Horton, were closely bonded, and their owner didn’t want to separate them.
After a couple of discussions, I finally gave in and told Laura that we would go see them, but that we wouldn’t take them. I was a bit overwhelmed heading into winter after dealing with the flood the year before, and I didn’t have a clue how to care for a goat.
Well, the next day, we went to the farm where they lived and walked with the owner out into the pasture. Around the corner of the barn came this tiny spotted donkey. I crouched down to say hello, and he walked right up to me and tucked his head onto my chest.
“We’ll take them!”
And so began our taking in of unofficial sanctuary animals. On the way home, I googled how to take care of goats, and the next day, we went back and picked them up.
That donkey is our lovely little spotted fella, Horton. Horton is still an absolute love. His favourite things are hanging out in the pasture with his buddies and getting treats from his little girl, my daughter Amber. Horton also absolutely loves summer mud baths. Amber coats him in mud, which keeps the flies away. He gets mad at her when she washes it off. His other favourite thing is his winter blanket. He loves being warm in the winter.
Horton has some arthritis in his back end because he was attacked by dogs when he was younger. They tore open his back end quite badly. He has a lot of scars and doesn’t grow much hair there, which is one of the reasons he likes his winter blankie so much. He gets his Sinew-X daily to keep his joints moving and healthy.
Horton is also a star in the community. He loves going to petting zoos and events around Estevan and has had his picture in the paper numerous times! He dresses up in a floppy hat and in his Build-a-Bear shoes and loves getting attention from the kids. The only time I’ve ever heard him hee-haw was when kids were coming to see him. He is a sweet soul who is one of the poster-donks for the Sanctuary.