MEET COVID-LEO

Not sure how Leo got in this position, but this is the way he came in yesterday.  I would imagine one of the other boys, had something to do with it.  Usually the fly masks end up down around their neck, if they don't get completely pulled off.  

Speaking of masks for years I have gotten masks from Renee at Colorful Equine up in Phoenix.  She made all sorts of neat colors and they were made specifically for donkeys.  That is one of hers on Leo.  She's quit making masks because of health problems.  I had enough to start the season and a few extras, BUT, it's time to find someone else.  The boys think they are toys and by the end of the fly season, we go thru quite a few. 

This is Lynn and Linda's new little guy Arrow.  He is really friendly and when he sees people he usually comes running. 

It's really heated up the last couple of days.  I think it hit 100 in Tucson yesterday, we're always a few degrees cooler out here, but over 95 it doesn't really make much difference.  When it's like this the donkeys usually spend the day, under a shade tree, waiting for it to cool off.  We've always said you can tell where the coolest place is on the property by where the donkeys are.

Our governor opted to continue the shut down until May 15th.  I wouldn't be surprised if May 15th it continues to June 1st, etc, etc.  Some of the Hornet/Mini Stocks racers are talking about having a fun race day Saturday since the track isn't going to open like they planned.  They were suppose to blade a track today on one of the guy's property.  Haven't heard how it's going.

I asked John if my timing belt with the split in it would hold up for a fun day and I can't say he was enthused.....LOL  He's suppose to get it fixed next week, but in the meantime, I could try it out and see if it would hold up under "stress"......LOL 

MEET LOUIE OR AS I CALL HIM "LOUIE LOUIE"

He's a cute little thing, all white except for a few black speckles on his muzzle where there isn't any hair.  Very friendly and really impressed a runner from Colorado that came down for the Superior Burro race last Oct and ran with him.  So much in fact, that is why he needed to catch a ride to Colorado with Lynn and Linda, to go to his new home. 

Suzanne, Lynn and Linda took 3 of the donkeys out for a run this morning and Linda ran him.  I guess he did really good.  He's got a real heavy coat of hair coming from Alpine.  I would imagine he'll start losing it really quick in our almost 100 degree weather. 

AND THE PANDEMIC CONTINUES...........!!!

Although with Arizona's usual, "we're not going to do this long term" attitude, it looks like as of May 1st, things are going to relax a little according to the governor.  The asphalt track is planning on having a race the 9th of May, unfortunately the Hornets aren't on the 1st program,so I'll have to wait while, hope it doesn't conflict with the dirt track..........LOL

As usual it's busy around here, pandemic or no pandemic.  Lynn and Linda have added another donkey to their herd.  He was suppose to be a surprise, but they told us before we went to pick him up.  He had to be gelded before he came out here with all these girls, although he's not very big.  He would have had a problem becoming a daddy he could almost walk under the belly of most of our girls, but that doesn't mean he wouldn't try.  And most of the girls are hussies, when a new boy comes on the property, no matter what size he is........!!

I think that is maybe Paco welcoming him into the herd.

He's even smaller than Cheyenne.

If he is in his pen and you come close this is what you end up seeing.  He is very personable, loves people and has no fear of the big donkeys or Casper the monster mini mule.  Actually Casper has mellowed I guess.  He didn't really pay much attention to Arrow, so I guess he's given up on trying to bully the new kids on the block.  He chased Arrow a couple of times, but not with great enthusiasm.  More like "I was here first" chasing.  He's played with some of the big geldings including Link the mammoth, even Big Gus, and is missing hair in a couple of spots.  I just hope one of them doesn't pick him up, he's small enough they could.......LOL

 

 

 

 

Earlier in the week a woman called me from Tonopah, which is up above Phoenix.  Her donkey has bloody legs from the flies, their weather is already hot.  She had a vet come out to treat her and was told to get her into a cooler climate. Although we aren't as hot as they are yet, we're suppose to hit 100* Sunday, so it won't be long.  She wanted to know if we could help, and I knew it was going to be something other than us taking her.  

Linda and Lucky A Rescue up in Alpine have been corresponding about a donkey that needs a ride to Colorado, when Lynn and Linda go.  And right now spring has not sprung in Alpine, they still have snow, it's over 8000 feet.  Sounds like a cooler climate doesn't it?  Linda called and Michele didn't even let her get finished with her story, before she said she would take her. 

This was her when Lynn and Linda first saw her up in Tonopah

  

She's got a lot of fly damage on her front legs.  Her owner said she licks anything she puts on the legs off.  Not sure my Cortazone10 suggestion would be a good idea under those circumstances.

Quilla and Justin were the first to welcome her.  Quilla has already got his legs covered because of the flies.

Lynn and Linda are waiting today until Michele can meet them half way to pick up Donkey, (yes that's her name) and hand off Louie the guy that needs a ride to Colorado.  

And so it goes.................

ETC.......

It looks like things are slowly getting back to normal.  For the last couple of weeks, if we went out it seemed like about half the people had a mask on, or gloves or both.  Starting yesterday afternoon it looked like the pendulum was swinging towards the side of no mask or gloves.  This afternoon when we went in Walmart to get pumpkin for Cisco there were more people sans either.  What's funny is as of tomorrow Walmart employees are required to wear masks......!!! LOL

You might ask why is Cisco getting pumpkin?   Well if you have ever seen a pile of donkey poo you would know this isn't normal.  It's suppose to be individual little balls, not a big blob all stuck together and that's the way they came out.

Pumpkin is a natural laxative, and the vet said a can or half a can a day to see if it would help.  Not only does it help, it is one of his favorite things to eat.  We've been putting it on top of his mush and he eats all of it first.  I do get some strange looks when I check out with so many cans of pumpkin.  Haven't came up with a funny remark yet, when someone asks me what I'm going to do with all that pumpkin........!!  We get enough questions when we buy 25 pounds of carrots at a time.....LOL

As you might expect Big Gus has an opinion just about everything.  Linda caught him the other day telling her about something.  We can't always figure out what he's telling us, but he's pretty hard to ignore.......!!!  LOL  

Lynn and Leo "hamming" it up.....!!

Lynn thinks it's already too hot here in Arizona for comfortable sleeping weather, so he's tried camping out.  As you can see he isn't alone.  Link and Lola think it's great fun.

Lynn had to put corral panels around his bed to keep the nosy neighbors from trying to sleep with him. 

I guess Leddy is ready to go for a walk.........!!

Link looks even taller than he is in this picture, and Cochise looks smaller.   

                                      

They both got to play on the obstacle course.

Thanks Linda for all the pics and videos............!!!

WHAT NEXT...........????

Does anyone know what's happening or what will happen?  Walmart is starting to look pretty decent in all areas, which is a good thing.  

One thing about the donkeys, they don't watch TV or read newspaper, so their life is as usual.  Which means ours don't change much either, we work to keep their lives normal. 

 The fly season has started, I always have fly traps out.  But thru the winter usually just one.  Once the season starts, I don't want the flies to have to wait to get in the trap, so I start hanging more traps.  I'm up to three, so far, I think my record is 5 traps at one time.  This time of year even with our cold nights (28* last night, will be almost 80* today) it's a heavy breeding season for flies.  The fly traps are jamming out with thousands of flies and most of them have a little white egg sack on their fanny.  It would be bad if all those eggs got to hatch out, so I'm glad the traps do such a good job.  Too bad between the traps and the predator wasps, all the flies aren't eradicated.  LOL

I started Rosie on her annual regiment to hopefully control her ventral midline dermatitis summer flareup. Her lesions on her belly never go away they dry up in the winter, but stay scabby.  The link in the sentence above is to an article that talks about treatment with ivermectin every 4 weeks because it does not kill the adult worms, so you would only be killing the juveniles.

Last year I read an article about using Panacur for 5 days in a row to kill the adults.  Two weeks later start a weekly worming for 3 weeks of ivermectin to kill any juveniles that might hatch.  We did that last year and she had a good summer, with only a couple of flareups.  So that's what we're doing.

Boaz and Cisco are having to have zinc oxide put on their sheaths now.  Usually by this time Boaz would be headed for Colorado, where he doesn't have the problem but this year is different.  Cisco has the problem all summer, but he gets checked every morning, so we can manage him and not have a bloody itching out break of sores and habronema.  I always tell people if there is one fly on the property it will be on Cisco.  I assume he has a lousy immune system.  Over the years I've tried different immunity building supplements for him, but never saw much of a difference, the flies still hang out with him.  So every morning I head out with my jar of zinc oxide and visit the boys.  I'm sure they roll their eyes and think, "here she comes again, there is really something wrong with this woman, she comes out, says hello, gropes me, and then gives me a cookie".  LOL

A couple of the donkeys did get dentals this week.  Dr. Debra comes to Cochise County every month for dental and chiropractic work.  We've been taking in a couple of donkeys at a time, by the time everyone gets seen, it will be time to start over again, probably......!!!

This month was Cochise and Olivia's turn.  Olivia has been in an outstanding home for years, but her Mom has a lot of animals and she thinks Olivia needs more individual attention and a job.  So she came here to see if we could figure out what kind of a job she might like.  She hasn't been out for training to run yet, mostly she's been getting use to her new lifestyle.  She has turned into Justin's one and only love, of course she's a nice size standard and he is a nice size mini.  So there isn't much hope for the relationship, but he hasn't given up yet.  If some of the other geldings get too close to her, he yells, screams and if they don't get the hint, he will body slam them.  It's a wonder someone hasn't picked him up by his neck and shook him, but so far they tolerate him.  Olivia ignores him......LOL

We weren't sure how it would go.  Olivia does not like her feet messed with and is pretty determined to let you know.  Didn't know if she had ever had dental work done, so we didn't know which way it would go, but she did just fine.  Dr. Debra said she had a real nice mouth and a few hooks but not bad.

She did so well, after her teeth were done, John took her out for a little snack of fresh grass and weeds while Cochise met his fate.  

Next was Cochise.  We were pretty sure he hadn't had dental work.  He's young in fact he is probably even younger than we thought.  I think the woman said he was 5 or 6 when we picked him up.  She got him away from some ropers and had him less than a year and wanted him to be with other donkeys.

Dr. Debra said he still has his baby caps which on horses usually are gone by about 4 1/2 years.  Most people think that donkeys might be different but I haven't heard of a study being done to prove it.  So we will probably just say he is 5.

Cochise has very fast feet, he's never kicked any of us, but has let us know to not get too close with a muck rake when cleaning his pen.  So we thought he might be a little judgmental about having big metal things in his mouth and rasping his teeth.   We made sure Lynn went along as our enforcer if necessary.

He acted like it was no big deal.  Of course Lynn was scratching him all over the whole time, which is Cochise's favorite thing to do......!!!  Dr Debra said his mouth isn't as pretty as Olivia's, she said it was a good thing he gelded, he doesn't need to pass along his genes.  His feet are pretty wonky looking too. 

So far nothing definite on when racing at either track might start.  The asphalt track put out word today that they would like to have races in May if at all possible.  So they are just waiting for things to start opening up.  I would imagine they have everything prepared, it will just be a case of telling everyone when and where and unlocking the gate.

Heard thru the grapevine, that the dirt track director wants to start up as soon as possible also.  Both tracks will be making up race dates I would imagine.  Before all this started I had 4 race dates that conflicted and had said on those nights I would race whichever track was being the nicest to me.......!!!! LOL

Unfortunately I haven't had a race on the asphalt track yet this year.  I've had 2 races at the dirt track, finished 3rd and 1st, so by my plan, I would probably go dirt.  Just have to see what happens I guess. 

UPDATE ON THE NEW SITTING AREA.........

Last week I had some pictures of the donkeys and John on the tractor in the area we call the jungle, beside the north side of the house.  But I didn't have any pictures of the finished product.  Linda took some pictures for me to share.  

 Here's some of the "helpers" cleaning up the area. 

I think Suzanne is a lot more effective than the "fur" kids when it comes to cleaning up

 Boaz sadly watching all the trimmings leaving the area

 

End result.......... complete with table fire pit.  We've sat out there quite a few afternoons after chores.  It's really quite comfy and is protected from the afternoon sun by the house.  We might even be able to sit out there this summer

Not sure where she saw this little visitor, sitting on a barrel cactus.  We have 2 or 3 different kinds of lubbers at different times of the year.  They are usually in the grass lands, but we don't have much grass around here.

THIS IS BETTER THAN MY DOG ATE MY HOMEWORK..........!!

 Linda is taking classes to become a vet tech and she has tests to take today.  Do you think her professors would take this as an excuse for not being able to take her tests....??

Anyone want to take bets on who this is?  

 Yes, it's Big Gus......as I've said before he has no idea of personal space.  She was filling up one of the big water tanks and probably thought it was safe to rest out in the sun while it filled up.  LOL
 

Big Gus saw it as an opportunity to really get up close and personal.  I have no doubt he would have stood there like that all day long, if the tank hadn't got full and Lynn hadn't been available to move his big head, so she could get up.  Once he has you captured with that head, he won't move it and it's heavy enough that it isn't easy to move......... besides being heavy, he will try to keep you from moving it when it's where he wants it and you don't.......LOL 

I wouldn't recommend doing this with just any donkey and NEVER with a horse, but Big Gus for all his proclivities would never harm a human on purpose unless he fell on you.........!!!

TUCKER IS AMAZING.............!!

I don't know much about his story, except he's about 5 years old,  he's been by himself for about a year and hasn't been worked with very much.  

He got here just about feeding time Thursday and was pretty skittish about everything, which is understandable, considering all the eyes watching him, round up and feeding operation.  Quite a lot for one little guy to take in all at once.  

He stayed in his pen overnight, Friday and Friday night.  Saturday morning after chores Lynn let him out and he was pretty mellow about the whole situation.  When it was time to go in his pen for feeding, it could have gone either way.  We could have had to walk him down which can take hours, or he could almost go right into his pen like he'd been doing it for years.  He watched some of the others go in their pens and in he went.  Last night he stayed in because he hadn't been into Burroland yet and it's pretty rough country to get acquainted with in the dark, although he can probably see better than we can at night.  

He's shown interest in the other donkeys, and this morning he and Link the 2 year old mammoth were playing and running.  Link finally wanted to quit and Tucker was trying to get him to play some more.  Later on I was out and he was standing by the courtyard.  I went up to him, "wallered" him all over and I quit before he didn't want any more.  He's really is a neat little guy.  And he has a very interesting mane.  

Most donkeys have a roached mane that stands up.  Some of them have a longer roached mane that flops all over the place and looks more like a real mane.  And a few of them have an actual mane.  He has a long mane for a donkey and it's got 2 colors in it.  It probably won't ever be any longer than it is, Cisco has been here about 20 years, his was this long when he came and it's still about the same length.

This was his welcoming committee when he got here.  He is on the right in the pen, Muzzie is on the left in Big Gus' pen and the others are outside the pens gawking at him.  

Tyler came Friday to re-shoe Gigi.  Gigi was probably born crippled and nothing was done for 11 years, before we got her.  She's worn shoes on her front feet ever since and Tyler comes about every 8 weeks to do her.  He use to also do Gus and Penny, but both of them are gone now.  So now Gigi is his only regular and he will also do others if I ask him if he has time.  

Benjy and Jenny have been here a couple of months and are getting better but still are rather opinionated about what people can and can't do with them.  They actually could have been worse, hopefully next time will be better......!! LOL 

 

These are Lynn and Linda's three dogs, left to right, Lucy, Lennon standing on the stock and Lola is black and by the right side of the stock.   Anyone that has been around dogs and farriers at the same time, probably know what they are doing.  I don't think people would appreciate the snacks, but the dogs sure do.  Hoof trimmings must be really tasty, because all dogs will eat them until they get sick......!!  Linda said she saved some for later...........!!! LOL

WELL, WHAT NEXT..........??

Good question, seems like everyday there are more rules to follow.  And who's to say anything that we do as a country is going to make any difference in the end result.  Lots of talk.........really LOTS OF TALK.  I don't watch TV much anyway, but right now it seems to have a one subject schedule.  I can't help but think, there are other things going on in the country and in the world too.  

Life goes on whether there is a Covid-19 virus or not.  Lynn and Linda picked up a new Burro Buddie a couple of days ago, named Tucker.  In 2012 we had a baby born here I named Tucker.  He was premature and all "Tuckered" out for awhile.  We almost lost him, but he made it and got to go to a wonderful home with his mom Mocha, so we won't have to worry about changing names.

This is Tucker headed out of his pen to see the world Lynn just opened the gate.

  He came out of the pen, dropped his head and started eating the mustard.  That wouldn't be very interesting, except our donkeys won't touch it.  I guess maybe they are a little bit spoiled.......!!!  He's probably been in a dry lot pen for awhile without access to green stuff eating hay, so even mustard looked pretty good.

Tucker meeting Loki.  We always let the new kid out before the others, so they can get an idea of the lay of the land for an hour or so, in case they have to run for their life.

 

He's comfortable enough in his new surroundings to lay down in the wash for a rest. 

Came up out of the wash ready for more sight seeing.

 Not sure where he was headed, but he was moving like he had a purpose.  He slipped right into the herd no one paid any attention to him, even Casper the little white mini mule behaved himself.....so far.   Burroland is shut, so if we have to walk him down to get him into his pen tonight we won't have so much walking to do........hopefully.


Of course while all this is going on Misty the new girl on the block is cycling and some of the boys have forgotten they've had "brain" surgery and are acting like teenage boys at a drive in theatre.  Paco and Loki are 2 of the main players, while 4 or 5 of the others were following along either to watch or just in case one of them caught her eye I guess.  What a mess of yelling, screaming, pushing, kicking until finally Misty was put in a pen for her own good.  Now some of them are hanging around the pen like "love sick teenagers".

I think this is Misty and Paco before all the fun started.  Linda took some of the pictures and this is one of hers, I'm not sure if it's Paco or not.



Ruth and Marika came out again today to groom on the donkeys.  They were suppose to leave this area the end of March and head for summer territory, but so many areas of the country are telling part time residents or outsiders to stay away for now.  Lynn and Linda probably won't be leaving for Colorado when they planned because their county has requested people not come back for now.  I hope it doesn't get to 100*  before they get to leave, Lynn thinks it's hot now and it's only in the 80s*.......!!! LOL