Coming Home Day
It seemed to us that the day would never come. We had to wait until the donkeys were 6 months old and fully weaned from their mothers before they could come to our little farm, and honestly it was one of the longest six months of our lives.
They have been here a month now (sorry for the delayed post) but we have all been adjusting. Who knew two little donkeys could turn our world upside down? They can be sweet one minute and moody the next. They never leave each others side, and if one of them does accidentally walk to far away, the other comes running to get back into the fold. It is 100% true what they say about donkeys being stubborn. If these two don’t want to do something…then they are not going to do it.
On the flip side of that coin though, they can be so loving. Resting their heads on your shoulder while you rub their necks. Coming up to you in the field just so they can be petted. Always together. The wait on one another before they go into the barn at night. Literally, if one is lagging behind, the other will stand at the barn door, refusing to go in without his/her friend. In some ways their bond reminds me of childhood friendships: earnest, true, patiently waiting for their friends to come down the slide at the playground before they both run to the swing set.
Getting them here was an adventure. The day before we picked them up, they were separated from their herd and their mothers for the first time. It broke my heart to find out that they both had cried most of the night. At least they had each other. When we got there that morning to pick them up, the first thing we noticed was how much they had grown from the last time we had been to visit. Their winter coats had come in and they are so incredibly fluffy. Jambalaya looks more like an ox to me then a donkey.
Once all the paperwork was signed, we put their little halters on and walked them to the car. They literally rode home in the backseat.
Poor Raspberry brayed several times as we pulled away from the farm, their home. The drive home really wasn’t that bad. We had to stop a couple times because they were restless, but once we gave them some hay to eat as we drove, they calmed down.
When we got them home and settled into their new pasture, we quickly realized they were actually smaller than we originally thought. We were concerned they would be able to go under the fencing we had in place, so we spent the next couple of days quickly running an additional wire. Now that the wire is in place, we are ready in case we end up with any smaller animals in the future.
In our first month, we have learned a lot and have many stories to share in the coming weeks. We look forward to you all sharing in this crazy adventure we are on.