I got Fanny more than ten years ago, when a donkey mystic told me my first donkey, Carol, was lonely. Then Carol died and I got Lulu to keep Fanny company. they are sisters, they have been together every day of their lives since Lulu came. When I broke down in the first Bedlam Farm, I sent the donkeys away for a year to live with a farmer who was a good friend.
Lulu was bitten by a dog then, a Pit Bull and injured. When I recovered I asked to have the donkeys back and the farmer, who was not enamored of donkeys, gave them back to me. It took Lulu a year or so to forgive me – donkeys gave very long memories. I see these two girls as witnesses, they welcome Simon, and they have welcomed Chloe.
When I go outside, I often see them standing and watching me, observing me, wondering about me. Donkeys are very smart, the most intuitive and spiritual of the animals I know. They are patient. They are loving, in need of attention. They love to work, as guard animals, giving rides, hauling things. They are hardy and resilient, they eat almost anything green.
Everything has to be their idea, if you want them to do something, they generally won’t, at least not away, and they won’t do anything they think is stupid or silly. They love to be touched, groomed, talked to They will open gates, gnaw on barns, pick pockets, open bags. They are curious, and can be playful if they are the mood. They are willful, and can be quite stubborn. Generally, if you want them to do something, ask them to do the opposite. If they think you don’t want them to do it, they might.
On those occasions when they open gates and unlatch chains, the thing to do is ignore them, pretend you don’t notice and don’t care. That will piss them off and they will come rushing back into the pasture, just to show you. I love donkeys, I never imagined having one and now, cannot imagine living without them. They and Maria have a big love thing going, they all adore one another.
I love them too, and they love me in the donkey way, They know me very well by now. If I am in a bad mood, they will walk away. If I have a carrot hidden my pocket, they will come up and snuggle until they get it. They know.