2020 IS ALMOST IN THE REAR VIEW MIRROR.........!!!

 Just a few more days and we will say goodbye to a year that has been a trial to say the least.  Looks like nothing is going to change in the near future, and no light at the end of the tunnel.  

We've been having quite a few tours and yesterday we had a large group come out to run with the donkeys in preparation for the 5k race on New Year's Day at the Triangle T Ranch down in the Dragoon mountains.  I think Linda said there are 47 people signed up.  Some are bringing their donkeys, some of running our donkeys, some are running without donkeys and some are sharing their virtual race times and hopefully videos to participate in the fun.  

John is going to set off an air horn to start the race.  That should be interesting, it probably won't startle our donkeys.  We use the air horn when we're doing roundup and all the donkeys have gone to their pens and we still have someone out looking for them.  So the donkeys are use to hearing it.  BUT, not sure about some of the others, so the start might be entertaining....!!  LOL

We have some excitement happening this week.  About a month ago a couple came out for a tour, I think Burroland was open, so the donkeys were everywhere.  We took them around in 2 of our 3 golf carts.  One of them has no brakes and the other one has been chewed on by donkeys and the seat just barely has a place for you to sit.  We're use to it, but obviously it made an impression on them.  They called last week and are bringing us a golf cart...!!!!  Lynn and John have already made a spot for it in the hay barn and it will only be used for tours...!! At least that is the plan.  

I haven't taken very many pictures this month, so I'll share some of Linda's videos of the donkeys out for training.  I'll just share links, some of them are larger than Blogspot allows.  

Run Rudolph by Chuck Berry

Working out in Arizona 

Getting ready for New Year's 5k

 

CHRISTMAS CAME EARLY.....!!

 Yesterday John came in with a very heavy box.  When we opened it, it looked a lot like a box we got a few weeks ago, from Debra in Ohio.  Lots of canned pumpkin for Cisco's elimination problem and goodies for people and dogs alike.  What a nice surprise.  Her daughter and son-in-law live in Arizona and have been out here to visit the donkeys.  I can't remember if Debra has been out here or not.  She even individually wrapped the cans of pumpkin. 

    Rescue isn't always fun, some situations will make you wonder if there is any hope for the human race.  But then someone like Debra comes along that makes you realize the good people outnumber the bad.  We just have to keep doing our thing and making a difference when we can. 

Cisco is the brown donkey, with his friend Shiloh a few years ago.  As you can see they eat other things besides pumpkin.  Cisco dearly loves his pumpkin.  It makes a big difference with his chronic constipation and he gets a can of pumpkin daily.  If we are a little slow dishing out the pumpkin on top of his mush, he lets us know that there is suppose to be pumpkin there, so where is it?  

 

Did everyone get to see the conjunction of Jupiter and Saturn last night?  We started going out just after 6pm when they were just close together.  John said it looked like a car quite a distance away, with one bright headlight and one not as bright and rather fuzzy looking.  Over the next hour we went out about every 10 minutes to check on them.  They never really got closer, the last time John checked they had dropped below the Rincon mountains between us and Tucson, so we couldn't see them anymore.  I guess they finally got up lined up like they said they would, but because of the mountains we don't know.  

This picture was on the internet, someone took it with I assume a really good camera.  It wasn't near this clear and bright with the naked eye.  

 

 Not much going on around here, Suzanne is still gone to visit family until after Christmas.  The preparations for the New Ear's 5K burro race are going well.  It's amazing how much behind the scenes work it takes to make an event like this happen.  Lynn, Linda and volunteers have gone out twice so far to mark the trail and I think Linda said they are going out again, before the race.  

Marking the trail is paramount to everyone having a good finish especially if there are choices, like a fork in the trail or even a right or left hand turn.  If it isn't marked well , which way do you go?  One of their last people races wasn't marked very well, and Lynn got to run a few miles more than he needed to.  Of course he got to see things the other runners didn't get to see.  But he was in 2nd place when he took a wrong path and he lost a lot of positions before the finish.

 Anyone that is in the SE Arizona area that isn't doing any thing New Year's Day, should come down to the Triangle T Ranch in the Dragoon mountains right off I-10 and enjoy meeting the donkeys and watch the race.  It should be a lot of fun.  

 

 

JOIN US FOR A FUN TIME NEW YEAR'S DAY.............

 

CeleBRAYte 2021 with us! This 5K is a fundraiser for Forever Home Donkey Rescue & Sanctuary, Inc. Our second annual New Ears Bray 5K will be held at Triangle T Guest Ranch in Dragoon, AZ. Racers are welcomed with or without burros. Can't make it? No problem! We have a virtual option, too! All registered participants will receive a New Ears Bray 5K Medal. For more details, please see the link below.

 

https://runsignup.com/Race/AZ/Dragoon/NewEarsBray

 

How does a virtual race work?

Simply register, on line, complete the distance anytime and anywhere you desire (even on a treadmill!), and to our website. We will mail you a finisher’s medal after you upload your results or at the end of the race period, whichever comes first.

Can anyone participate?

Yes! Young or old, fast or slow – we encourage participants of all ages and ability levels.

SIGGY AND HARLEY NOT TO BE OUTDONE..........

Siggy and Harley got to be in the limelight today for Winkie's Weight Loss Workout Wednesday!

 It's like watching jello...!!

They both need to tone up a little bit, and they seem more than willing to participate.  Hopefully it won't be long before they are toned and buffed.   They sure are cute little runners and so willing.  

JACKSON AND LA'ROY STRUTTING THEIR STUFF.....!!

 Linda took this video yesterday.  We had a couple of new volunteers out and when they got thru working, they got to  play with the donkeys.  Linda couldn't have picked a better song to go with the boys run.  Siggy and Harley were running in front of them and they did really good too.  Siggy and Harley I don't think had even been out before.  Siggy is a micro mini only 28 inches tall, so his little short legs go pretty fast, but he was in the lead and seemed to be having a great time. 

 Little bitty runners....!

New Year's Day there is going to be a New Ears Bray 5K run at the Triangle T Guest Ranch in the Dragoon mountains put on by Burro Buddies.  Should be a lot of fun, for people and burros, not to mention fun to watch.  I wouldn't be surprised if some of the minis will be running.  A lot of people that have never ran with a burro before like to start out "small".  I would imagine they think the smaller the easier to control, which usually isn't the case.  A lot of these little guys have Napoleon complexes and don't know they are little.  

 I have to brag a little on all the donkeys and even Casper the little white devil mule.  The last few days everyone have been really good at roundup time.  We usually find a donkey, they follow us to their pen and get a treat.  What this process does is  teach them to not go in their pen until they see a person with the payoff in hand unfortunately.  

The last few days many of them have actually been going into their pen on their own and waiting patiently for one of us to show up with the reward.  Tonight the Burro Barracks herd of 14 all went in on their own.  Usually we have one or two interlopers in there that don't actually belong and getting them out without losing some of the ones that do belong can be a challenge.  In fact that's how Oliver ended up in the barracks, he decided that's where he belonged and refused to go back to the pen with his 2 mini friends he had been with for years.  Over the years things like this have happened quite often.  A pair will come in and the people say they are bonded.  They get here with so many other donkeys and acres to explore and one will go one way and the other one goes his own way.  

As for Casper the little mini mule, he's been going in his pen like a good boy.  But Linda said yesterday he ruined his good record.  

 Linda and the dogs are on the dirt road coming to our driveway.  Casper is eating hay that Lynn and John deem not good enough for the donkeys, they put out for the range cattle.  In other words the hay is outside our perimeter fence, which means Casper is also outside the perimeter fence.  Linda said the dogs looked like they were saying "you're in trouble, you're in trouble".  He's not as smart as he thinks he is, if you yell at him to get back where he belongs, he goes back in where he got out, so we know where to fix it so he can't use it again.  We all thought he was being a good boy, we see him off and on during the day and he's always here at feeding time.  The little devil has a built in clock I guess.....!!  LOL 

  

THE NEW "FUR" KIDS ARE OUT AND ABOUT.........!!

 We always let the newbies out the first time by themselves for about an hour to give them time to explore a little bit without a bunch of nosy donkeys in their business.  When Lola and Merlin went out for their adventure this morning, she went one way and he went the other, so I guess they are going to do their own thing.  We'll see what happens when the others get out later this morning.

 

 

This Lola picking up little tiny dried up mesquite leaves.  All the donkeys love them, and spend a lot of time gleaning them off the ground.  She also found a stick to eat, so I guess she's another "woodchuck".......LOL

Merlin checking out an old poo pile, I guess to see who's here.  They are both really nice donkeys.  Lynn and Linda will probably take them out for some practice runs to see how they do.  

Well it's later this morning and I didn't get finished with my blog before the donkeys started going out.  Lola was enticing the boys thru the corral panels yesterday, when they were out and she wasn't.  So there's been a lot of running and chasing.  

 Casper the little white devil mini mule was still in his pen earlier and Lola and Merlin came by to say hi.....!!!  You would have thought he was 10 foot high and bullet proof, running at the corral panels, squealing and in general acting like a little monster.  I would love to know all of his history, he's always so nasty to any newbies for the first 3 or 4 days, then he settles down and ignores them.  Guess he figures they know who's boss by then.......!!! LOL  We know he has been in many homes,  and has learned to rely on himself rather than people or any other animal.  Probably most of them weren't very good homes, since he was still an intact stud, probably with a lot of attitude.  So he's learned to keep his distance and not expect much from the relationship. He and Big Gus have played in the past and been "buds".  But they both are loners and really prefer to do their own thing. 

 

Just saw Lola walking down below the house, with a trail of admirers walking behind her.  At least they aren't squabbling now, so hopefully that's all over.  

 Went out to see how Maddie a new volunteer was doing and here came the herd. All that running around made Lola thirsty I guess.  Look like Merlin has decided to protect her and is standing guard. 

 

This is what Merlin is protecting her from....!!!  Guess they are all waiting for the fun to start again..!!! There's going to be some tired donkeys around here tonight.......LOL

 

BUSY WEEK-END FOR ALL..........

 Suzanne, Lynn and Linda went on a run up in the Phoenix/Scottsdale area, something like 800 people running from 15 miles to 50 kilometers which is 31 miles...............for FUN.......!!!  They all finished their distances they signed up for, said it was a tough trail, lots of up and down, rocks and even people on bicycles to contend with.  

But look what followed them home, 2 very pretty donkeys.  They were suppose to pick Lola and Merlin up sometime soon and decided to just make one trip, which actually worked out really well.  

Merlin and Lola

  

                       This is the welcoming committee or at least part of it. 

 

 

Lola

 

 

Harley and Ziggy checking them out this morning.  

 

We'll probably let them out tomorrow or the next day to meet everyone and get to explore Burroland.  They've been in a dry lot, so that might be pretty exciting for them.
 

So while they were gone, John and I went to the end of the year NASCAR banquet to get my trophy.  Of course Covid had to come into play about 48 hours before the festivities.  Because of Covid we weren't going to have the banquet in one of the casinos in Tucson like they usually do, it was going to be outside at the track with everyone wearing masks.  So the country decided to add some more "rules" at a late date.  Only 50 people at a time could attend.  They've had up to 300 people at a banquet in the past and there is a couple of families that could probably have 50 just as relatives there.  

 

So they had to divide us up into 4 groups, each group had 45 minutes to get in, eat, hand out trophies, take pictures and get out.  LOL  John and I were in the 2nd group and we went in almost 30 minutes late and were grateful we weren't the last group......!! LOL  I guess it was like doctor's appointments, you want to be early morning, or right after lunch because as the hours pass, appointments get longer and so do the waits.  The track actually did a pretty good job jumping thru hoops, they could have just told us to come by the track and pick up our trophies.  

This is a 4th place trophy and it is 3 feet tall...!!!  One year a friend of ours got a 2nd or 3rd place trophy and we had to dismantle it to get it in the trunk of a Lincoln and they have big trunks.....!!! LOL

I guess the dirt track is having problems, buying the track isn't going smoothly, so we don't know if it will be operating in the spring.  The asphalt track says the Hornets will be racing next year, but we haven't seen anything in writing or the rules.  

I've got my fingers crossed that there will be racing for the Hornets someplace next season.  Dirt of course would be my choice, but after 6 years racing asphalt, I can live with asphalt again, dirt would just be more fun. 

THIS IS A VERY SAD MORNING AT FOREVER HOME

 You can't imagine how hard it is for me to write this.  We all had such high hopes for Macho Man to recover from his surgery, and be able to not have to deal with a pendulous sheath as he had for years.  

Unfortunately that was not meant to be, this morning he crossed the Rainbow Bridge surrounded by all of us that would have done anything to change the outcome.  

He hadn't been interested in eating or drinking since we picked him up Friday, so we had been closely watching him.  Everything seemed to be working as it should, he had been pooing and peeing.  At 23 he wasn't a youngster, but donkeys can live 40-50 years.  

Our best guess is he had a heart attack.  He was a loner from being alone for years.  And he wasn't a fan of being fussed with and "made" over.  So perhaps putting him in a trailer and hauling him to the clinic, going thru the surgery, hauling him home and all that fussing and hands on was just too much for him.  We'll never know for sure, but in hindsight maybe a pendulous sheath wasn't so bad after all.  

In rescue you aren't suppose to have favorites, but I've always had an affinity for the old guys.  Most of them have gone thru a lot to get to that place in their lives, and our goal has always been to give them the best final home we can.  This is not the outcome we hoped for, and I'm sure in the future other hard decisions will have to be made.  Their lives are in our hands, and  we can only hope and pray to make the right one.

MACHO MAN IS HOME.......!!

 We went up to Gilbert and picked him up yesterday afternoon.  They said everything went fine.  He seems to be holding a grudge, can't really tell, we have to give him bute and a liquid antibiotic for 3 days.  I tasted the antibiotic and to say it is bitter is an understatement........!!!  

 

Sorry, about the picture, for some reason the lens cover on my camera hung up half way open.  I'll try to get a better one later.  

It's pretty swollen, they were rather rough, poor guy.  But it's smaller than it was even swollen and it's not dangling all the time.  We don't know if he has peed or not, haven't seen any places in his pen.  He's not much interested in eating, but I would imagine the antibiotics have something to do with that.  

 He's on meds for the next 3 days, hopefully in that time he'll pee.  Can't let him out of his pen until he does, although the exercise would probably be good for him.  

 Today we had a girl's birthday party here.  Lily has come out with her sister and parents and ran burros a few times.  They also came out and helped rake mesquite beans, so the donkeys could finally get out of their pens.  

 

The donkeys really enjoy having lots of people out.  There were donkeys everywhere and people intermingled, but by the time I went in the house to get my camera, the donkeys had figured out that behind that gate where the food was, wasn't going to be shared, so almost all disappeared.  

 

A few of them hung around, just in case

They really prefer up close and personal.  That way they can check out the people to see if they have any food on their person.  

 I think this is the birthday girl with Muzzy

We only had 2 that had to celebrate the party in solitary confinement.  Gus usually doesn't get to be out with people.  He's bound and determined that people need to have him up close and personal and if there are any donkeys within his reach he goes into cranky mode, ears back, lunging and growling at them.  We told him we were sorry he never has learned to behave and I'm pretty sure at his age of over 40 years it's too late to change his ways.  

Link won't be 3 years old until next month and his manners need a little work.  He's young enough to work with, one of the big problems is, he doesn't realize how big he is I think Linda said he's already 15 hands high, which is 5 feet high at the withers.  And he hasn't learned that walking into people isn't allowed.  He also doesn't move away from pressure and he's too big to push.  LOL

As of a couple of days ago, the donkeys are off of restricted time out of their pens.  They've been getting out in the afternoon, but not overnight.  They are now going into Burroland after they finish breakfast and John let's them out of their pens and Burroland is open at bed time.  Sure didn't take them long to learn the drill, which means when they are let out of their pens, they go across the wash and stand by the gate into Burroland, until someone opens it.  It sure was a long summer for them staying in their pens night and day.  

We sure hope next summer is more normal weatherwise, this has been our worst summer since we've lived here.  Not sure what needs to change, although105* temperatures day after day, get old in a hurry. 

HAPPY THANKSGIVING TO EVERYONE................!!!

Last Sunday we delivered Kachina an Anazazi to their new home.  I don't know who was more excited the girls or Russ and Bobbi.  

 

The girls seemed to think the ride in the trailer was an adventure and once we got there they got out in a pasture of a couple of acres and started exploring.  Russ helped them to make sure they didn't miss anything.  

 

 

Didn't take long for them to head out on their own to see what was available to eat.  The dried grass seemed to be just fine. 

 

Every time either Russ or Bobbi goes out to where the pasture is, they said the girls come running to see them.   

 

Should be a great long term home for the girls.  Love it when we can find good homes with people that really enjoy having donkeys and plan on keeping them forever.  

 

Tuesday John and I took Macho Man to the surgical clinic in Gilbert up by Phoenix.  I sent pictures of his sheath to Dr. Howard this summer and since it had been that way for years, we all decided to wait for cooler weather to "fix" it. 

 

This is what his sheath has looked like for years according to his former owner.  He couldn't retract it, so it just hung and flopped back and forth.

 

This couldn't be comfortable to drag around all those years, he also couldn't drop to pee.

 

Poor guy, he got a shot, got hung from the ceiling by all 4 feet,  put on this table, and rolled into the operating room.  Then all sorts of indignities were performed that he would not have allowed if he had anything to say about it I'm pretty sure.......!! 
 

 

But the offending lump of scar tissue has been removed.........!!!  They sewed up the incision,  and hopefully he'll be able to drop and pee in the future.  At least he won't have the weight flopping around every  time he moves.  

 

 We're going up tomorrow to pick him up.  I hope he isn't as sore as it looked like he might be.  They weren't very gentle by my standards especially with the body parts they were working on.  John said just imagine what they do in people operating rooms.  He's probably right, I have woke up after surgery and had bruises a long way from where they should have been concentrating, one time I thought they might have dropped me off the table, at least once or twice........LOL

 

CASPER YOU LITTLE DEVIL...........!!! LOL

Linda caught Casper aka Diablo Blanco today, doing what he does best, not doing what he is suppose to do.  

You can tell from his behavior that he knows he isn't suppose to be over there.  You can also tell his opinion of Linda catching him.

We had quite a few tours today and when they were over, I opened up Burroland for all the donkeys to go over for an hour or so.  Casper was already over there to welcome them.....!!!  LOL  

KACHINA and ANAZAZI will be going to their Forever Home next week...

 We did a home study today and think this will be a great home for these two girls.  The people do dog rescue, and spend all their time with their animals, including a horse.  They will have plenty of room to stretch their legs and will even have a nice shelter, if they don't eat it.  It's all wood, but after we told them the girls eat wood like beavers, they will be putting chicken wire or something over the wood to protect it.  We'll probably take them to their new home, Sunday. 

 

Kachina

                                                        Anazazi aka Ana

 Yesterday Suzanne and I went up to Oliver, Siggy and Harley's old home close to Casa Grande to buy some corral panels.  I guess the people are afraid if they keep all the structure for equine they might get some more.  We really need the corral panels some of ours are pretty old and rusty.  It's a good thing the donkeys aren't fence challengers.  These are really nice and sturdy, they have some more that they are planning to get rid of and will give us first choice.  

Yesterday morning Casper the mini mule was acting punky, almost like he had a belly ache, bad enough to not eat, but not bad enough to call the vet.  Nothing has changed, although we had planned on letting the donkeys onto the 20 acres we call Burroland in the afternoon.  Before doing that John and I took the golf cart over for a look around, just to make sure the range cattle had eaten the beans.  There were a few and quite a few areas where the assorted types of rodents had made the mesquite bean pods into crumbs.  We also noticed little bitty foot prints EVERYWHERE, just about Casper's size.  I guess he figured we weren't being fair to them, by closing off Burroland, so he decided to go back to his old ways of camo crawling under the barbed wire fence and going where he wanted to.  He is smart enough to make sure he's here front and center, at feeding time........!!!! 

The donkeys went into Burroland Tuesday afternoon for the first time since early July for a couple of hours.  Almost all of them found out the gate was open and took advantage of the opportunity.  Although Cochise was by the pens when I went out to open the gate along with about 5 others.  They all followed me over there, except for Cochise, and he stayed in the same place by the pens all afternoon, while everyone else was enjoying new territory, even the ones that had never been over there.  

We had no idea what would happen when the 2 hours was up and it was time to come in for supper.  But they really did good considering about half of them had never been over there and had never had to come in because we were asking them to.  They didn't get to go over there this afternoon because we were gone to do the home study.  But tomorrow afternoon we'll let them out again.  As long as they don't pig out on mesquite beans, we'll start letting them out earlier every day.  So we'll be doing POO101 when we pick up poo for awhile. 

OH GREAT, NOW WE'RE BREAKING HEAT RECORDS AGAIN........!!!

This is going to be a year to remember for a lot of reasons, one being the weather being all over the place and is still setting records.  We had nights in the low 20s, which led us to believe that summer was over, guess not......!!! LOL  We've triaged the fly masks, washed the ones that made the cut for next spring and threw the rest away.  I don't know how the flies can survive the cold nights but lots of them obviously do.  So far we're just putting masks on the 4 that are the biggest fly magnets, Boaz, Big Gus, Macho Man and Cisco.  But if the weather stays warm very long, we may have to drag out the masks for all.

Next Tuesday we are taking Macho Man up to the clinic in Gilbert to hopefully remove the scar tissue from his sheath, so he can retract like the other boys do.  I asked the owner when we picked him up how long he had been that way, she said about 15 years, poor guy......!!!   I'm still working on his leg to get the extra growth off it.  I hesitate to call it proud flesh, it doesn't act like normal proud flesh, but it doesn't have any feeling in it.  I'll have them look at it while we're up there.  John and I plan on staying overnight or however long it takes for him to get stable and ready to trailer.  He was gathered from the BLM range in 2003 and was said to be about 6-7 years old, which would make him 23-24 years old.  They might decide he is too old to do, basically cosmetic surgery on, we'll just have to see.  

Today John and I are doing a home study for a possible adoption, for one of the minis.  Not sure which one, but it sounds like a wonderful home.  We are also doing a home study Friday for Anazazi and Kachina.  A couple came out last week, and thought the girls would be a good fit in their family.  

This is a video of Avery one of our alumni with her brother Brigs in Colorado, out enjoying a run.  Thanks Nate for another nice video.

https://www.facebook.com/burrobuddies/videos/1025160097976845

TONIGHT THEY WILL GET TO ROAM ALL NIGHT LONG......

 They've done so good during the day tonight John will let them out at bedtime to do donkey stuff all night.  It's been really cold here, in the low 20s when we wake up in the morning.  This way they can choose where they want to be.  I've always said in the summer you can tell the coolest place on the property and in the winter the warmest place.  They all come out of their pens like they've been in prison, doesn't matter if it's raining or the wind blowing, they want OUT.........!!! 

Had a couple come out today to visit with the donkeys and are interested in adopting Anazazi and her mother Kachina.  We had talked about sending Ana up to Colorado because she has issues with skin problems in the summer.  But a good home locally, with her mother and people that realize she will take extra care in the summer sounds like a good deal for the girls.  So we will do a home study next week.  

We also have another home study next week.  A nice couple came out, to see the donkeys and already have a little mini.  They fell in love with Sasha and Bella and everything was falling into place, until they remembered their little guy hasn't been gelded.  Well I'm sure the girls would have been thrilled, BUT, we don't allow breeding of our rescues.  But it might be a good home for a gelding.  We have adopted a gelding as a companion with a jack before and it worked out just fine.  So we'll go check it out and talk with the people some more.  And also see what kind of personality their little guy has.  

We can't let them into Burroland until the corner fence is fixed where the range bulls had an altercation and the fence suffered.  It will get fixed next week, hopefully.  

John got a good deal on metal siding for the shelters, he's got to get 2x4s and cement and whatever else the job will require.  Then we can put out the word and get some helpers to make the job easier hopefully.  So many of the shelters have been completely eaten this summer, there's no walls left to protect them from the wind.  Usually our weather doesn't get wintery until after Christmas, so we haven't been in any hurry, especially since a lot of October was 100* or more, it's hard to get enthused about working outside when it's that hot.  So now the high today is 70*......!!  We dress in layers......LOL

Thought I'd share this picture from the past of John with BlackJack and Cisco a few years ago.  They were in a movie that was being filmed over at Gammon's Gulch, which is just a stone's throw up the road from us.  

Blackjack was our 1st donkey about 23 years ago.  In the next year we got 4 more donkeys and Cisco was one of them.  Cisco and Buddy Brat are the only 2 left, Buster, Pepper are both gone.  Tonight Cisco will be blanketed, the last two mornings we've put a blanket on him but he was already cold.  The problem in the desert is, it's still warm until later in the night, and right before sunrise it's usually the coldest.  So he might be a little too warm for a few hours, but I'm pretty sure he will appreciate having the blanket when the sun comes up......!!

ABOUT TIME TO OPEN UP BURROLAND..........!!

 The donkeys are staying in at night.  Every morning we do Poo101 when cleaning the pens and so far there aren't very many beans showing up.  I guess we did a better job of raking and picking up than we thought.  

Awhile back a couple of the range bulls got in a fight and wadded up one of the corner fences that is between Burroland and the 10 acres where the pens are and where they get to roam on in the afternoon. As soon as that gets fixed I think we can let them out over there.  The range cattle have cleaned it pretty good.  Don't know if we'll ever get them back or not once they are going over there.  The first 2 or 3 days they were out on the 10 acres it was like herding cats when it was time to go back to their pens.  In that situation you have to pick one and follow that one until they figure out you aren't going to give up.  Sometimes there will be 2 or 3 together and as you "worry" them some might turn a different direction, but you stay with your original victim.  Of course the ones that turned away think they escaped, so by the next day they are feeling invincible. LOL

Yesterday we took 6 of the donkeys out to Cochise RV Resort for show and tell.  People really like to see the donkeys and the donkeys have learned to play to the people for attention.  Some of them have tricks like sticking their tongues out to the side of their mouth, hoping the people will give them a treat.  

 

J

For years Jasper has been a stay at home kind of guy.  He was overweight when he came to us and had very sore feet.  His feet are still sore off and on, but we have found out he really likes going on outings and interacting with the people.  He is the big grey donkey staring at the women taking pictures.  I observed him all day, he watches the people and as soon as they walk up, he presents himself for pets and treats.  This was his 2nd outing and he will probably go on any outings like this in the future.  Most of the donkeys like to go, but I've never seen any of them get as involved as he was. 

 It's suppose to start getting cooler, hopefully we'll be able to take Macho Man up to Gilbert to have the scar tissue taken off his sheath soon.  We had been getting a little blasie' about putting fly masks on everyone and I am now doctoring Boaz, Cisco and Macho Man for habronema under their eyes.  The flies are getting up before we do and have time to drop the habronema eggs in their eyes before we go out and put fly masks on.  These nasty little larvae cause so much damage to the skin and tissue and cause itching which causes the donkeys to scratch and cause more damage.  Hopefully the weather will get cool as forecasted and stay that way.  Usually by this time of year we're done with fly masks.

BEANS ARE DISAPPEARING OFF THE PROPERTY

 Maybe not the way we would prefer, but every day in the couple of hours the donkeys are out in the afternoon, their heads are down and they are doing their best to pick up every bean they find.  

This is some of the donkeys from the Burro Barracks headed out for the "gold" field.  There is an area northwest of the house that was really difficult to pick up.  The blower got some of them out of the rocks to where they could be raked, but the ground had so much gravel and rocks that we finally gave up.  The donkeys had no problem finding the area with the most beans and they remember it each day when they are let out.  That is one reason they only get out for a couple of hours a day.  

We're doing Poo 101 observation in the morning when we pick up poo.  So far their poo isn't heavy on beans and we haven't had anyone go off their feed with a tummy ache, for which we are grateful.  We will gradually up their time out until they are out all afternoon.  It might be awhile before they stay out overnight or get to go into Burroland.  So far, so good.......!!! 

Yesterday Suzanne picked up this cute little hut from Oliver, Siggy and Harley's home, a donation to the rescue that is deeply appreciated.  It's all metal and heavy plastic and doesn't look very appetizing, so it shouldn't get nibbled on.  

 

It is perfect for minis, so La'Roy and Jackson got it since La'Roy didn't have a shelter in his pen.  The pen Oliver, Siggy and Harley are in has a shelter that Oliver can actually fit in.  Susan said Oliver liked to go partially in the hut and scratch his back.......!!  Since he is a large standard, he couldn't get all of him in it.  

 

 We have two new donkeys that Linda made for Halloween, they really turned out cute.   

 

She even made jack-o-lanterns out of Cisco and Buddy's feet.  They weren't her first choice, but they were the ones that would stand still long enough for the paint to dry between layers.

 We now have 6 cats I guess.  Nigel, Moogee, Sunny and Snooky are indoor cats.  A few years ago we fed 2 cats outdoors.  Hobo disappeared and her son Julius decided he wanted to be an indoor/outdoor cat, so he comes and goes at will.  

Recently Smoky started showing up when John put out dry food for Julius on a regular basis.  If you live in the country people seem to think you need more dogs and cats, he was probably dumped.  He was a tomcat and we are pretty adamant about spaying, neutering, gelding, depending on which one needs to be done.  So John put some yummy cat food in a live trap and off to the vet Smoky went.  The clinic wanted him kept inside for 4 days.  Just because a cat has been neutered, doesn't mean the smell of tomcat goes away immediately.  We had him in the spa room and enough is enough, so we turned him loose on the 3rd day. Phew....!!  Had no idea if we'd ever see him again, but there he was for his afternoon feeding, and he doesn't seem to hold a grudge.  He will let John scratch his head, so he'll probably end up an indoor/outdoor cat like Julius. 

WHOOPEE AND YAY..............!!

 Well it's not 100% freedom, but at least they are getting out for about 1 1/2 hours a day, as of last night.  

Rather a slow beginning.  This is the Burro Barracks herd.  Last night we decided that letting all 40 out on the property for the 1st time, might be a little difficult to get them back in.  So we let the ones in the pens, except for the 3 new ones out about     1 1/2 hours before usual feeding.  

It took about an hour to round them up and a few had to be haltered, but all in all it could have gone a lot worse.  It seemed like the ones that were the biggest problem are the ones that have been out on the property for years, like Tula.  Guess they didn't think they had enough time out.  Some of the other followed a container of pellets.

This morning the 14 in Burro Barracks got to go out.  Lynn said they should be pretty easy to round up, they are the racers and are use to going in and out and someone telling them what to do.  They did pretty good, but started slow.  Where they unload hay twice a day for feeding outside the gate had a build up of hay scraps, so that's as far as they got at first.

Some in, some out........finally someone figured out they were free and they all took advantage of the situation.  They were all over the property.  When it was time for round up they did  good too. 

So I guess we'll do it this way for a few days and see how it goes.  We'll have to check poo and if individuals start showing too many beans in their poo, they'll have to stay in their pens.  We've picked up beans until we are blue in the face  and this morning we noticed a couple of spots that got missed that need attention......!!  There are beans scattered all over the 10 acres, BUT, they aren't concentrated under the trees.  A donkey could find a spot like that and just stand there and eat as long as they were out.  That's why we had to pick them up.  Hopefully we won't have any gas colic or upset tummies.

 

HOPEFULLY TODAY IS THE DAY............!!!

 John found some more areas that needed to be debulked of beans yesterday afternoon, so the donkeys didn't get to go out.  But we've got our fingers crossed for today.  I'm wondering how much fun it will be to get them back in their pens if they do get to go out........!!!  LOL

Here is a nice video when people and donkeys took a side trip to the Grand Canyon on their way to California to a race sponsored by the California Breakfast Burritos in Ridgecrest, CA.  Don't want to brag, BUT, Muzzy and Lynn finished 1st in the 26 miles race out there and Benji and his person team mate Patrick won the 10 mile race.                    Going down into the Grand Canyon

The California Breakfast  Burritos is an organization of people in CA sharing their love of pack burro racing with others and are involved in helping non-profits.  This year we were the recipients of their generosity, which was very much appreciated. Hopefully in the years to come, there will be pack burro racing in many states, rather than just Colorado.  Arizona has had 2 races, California one, N.M. hasn't had a race yet, but people have hauled their donkeys to some of the other states and they would like to have races at home.  The states will have to rely on their own states in the future and not expect runners to haul 100s of miles to run.  In the last few years pack burro racing has really exploded, hopefully it will continue to grow and bring lots of new faces into the sport.  

 This is Big Gus showing off his latest renovation of his pen.  He seems pretty proud of the hole he dug.  We've been calling it an "ass hole".................! LOL  Unfortunately he isn't the only digger we have.  Since they have been in their pens so long, quite a few of them have learned all sorts of new skills, that aren't appreciated by humans.

He is also skilled at making a door where there use to be a wall.  Almost all the shelters have been dismantled or completely destroyed.  When Lynn and Linda came back our first priority was to get the donkeys out of their pens, which hopefully will happen today.  After that the next priority will be to rebuild a lot of shelters with metal siding, rather than wood.  

 

As of yesterday our head count is 38 donkeys and Casper the mini mule.  We had 2 minis and a large standard BLM donkey come in from a caring home, but the people are older and chores have become a chore rather than enjoying being with the donkeys.  

 

They arrived in a real nice trailer, Oliver on the left, Harley and little Siggy.

 

 

  Siggy is only 28 inches tall, which makes him a micro-mini.  Any donkey less than 30 inches tall is a micro.  You might notice both of them are a little plump for their height. 

 Oliver, is a large standard and also is a little plump for his height.  Over the years most of the donkeys we've taken in, have been overweight rather than underweight.  All 3 of them are really nice donkeys.  It's really hard to get weight off them and takes months, so they will probably be here awhile.  I have a really good home that is looking for a mini as a companion for their donkeys, but first they will have to go thru "donkey Jenny Craig"..........!!! LOL

 

Smoky the feral cat got his "brain" surgery yesterday as planned.  They don't want him jumping around for 4 days, so he's in a wire cage in the spa room.  We shut the door, so the 4 indoor cats couldn't lay down in front of the cage and stare at him.  You would have thought we had ruined their lives forever, they just can't stand the idea of not being able to go EVERYWHERE in the house, as they usually do.  He's actually pretty mellow for a feral cat, he'll probably end up an indoor/outdoor cat like Julius, if he doesn't take off, never to be seen again......!!!  The other 4 probably would disappear if they went outside, they aren't use to having to watch for coyotes and snakes, not to mention hawks.