Some time ago our horse, ShyAnn, lost her long time companion, Sailor, to laminitis. A word of caution here…DO NOT google “laminitis in horses” on an empty stomach. This loss was devastating for Shy because Sailor was her lifelong sidekick. It would be like C-3PO without R2-D2, Abbott without Costello, Batman without Robin … you get the point. Horses do not do well on their own. It goes against their nature. They are herd animals. When she started trying to make friends with the equipment in the road construction zone behind our house, we knew something had to be done.
(L to R: ShyAnn, Sailor, Hayley)
We agonized about how to “replace” the void that Sailor left in ShyAnn’s life. Our veterinarian, who I have made extremely wealthy, suggested a donkey. Huh?! … a Wha?! A donkey?! Those stubborn things that are commonly known as another name for the “South end of a Northbound horse” (that’s in quotes ’cause I stole it). We, and by “we” I mean my wife, started researching and found that a donkey can be beneficial to any herd of livestock. They are less expensive to take care, fend off predators,…,…,and… I didn’t hear the rest because as soon as I heard less expensive, I was in the driveway hooking up the trailer.
We headed west to San Angelo. Peaceful Valley Donkey Rescue – http://www.donkeyrescue.org/ – is my new favorite non-profit. They are an outstanding organization. We adopted this critter:
We named her Maggie Mae, and I am happy to announce that ShyAnn and her are like peas and carrots. It was like introducing a duck to water. It was strange. It was like they had known each other all their lives. Thanks to Peaceful Valley Donkey Rescue for all that you do for this misunderstood breed of animal.
-BG
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