MELVIN & JACKSON ARE HERE FOR AWHILE

We picked up these 2 boys in Tonopah this week.  They will be boarding here thru the Summer, attending "Longears Summer Camp", while their family enjoys cooler Colorado.  They usually get hauled back and forth every year.  This year the owners are seeing if staying in Arizona works out best for the boys.  

This is Jackson, so now we'll have 2 Jackson's for awhile.  He has the softest hair, even softer than BlackJack's.  He's about 20 or early 20s, very friendly.

This is Melvin, meeting his new neighbor Beefy.  They both mouthed, after Beefy lunged at the corral panels, not sure if he is sending mixed signals or not......!!   Melvin is a  BLM donkey, I think he's about 8 years old.  When we got there and went in their area, he started kicking out.  I thought, this is going to be fun, as I get older I also am getting slower and John is even slower than I am.........!!!  LOL  Really didn't look forward to trying to figure out his personality, while trying to stuff him into the trailer.  The owners always load Jackson first, he pretty much hopped right in.  Melvin wasn't sure this was what he had planned that day, but he was willing to go along and went in the trailer pretty quickly thank goodness.  

 

Uneventful trip home, except for the crazy drivers.  They like to play chicken with semis and obviously stock trailers.  I can imagine how frustrated truck drivers get daily having to deal with people cutting them off and just not driving past their hood with 50,000 pound plus trucks.  When hauling animals you like to stop slow and easy, so they can keep their balance.  No close calls, but we did shake our heads a few times at some of the "interesting" moves people do when driving.  

When Melvin met Beefy for the first time,  no fireworks, as long as Melvin stays away from Beefy's girl Bonnie.  The poor girl can't get a break.  A couple of days ago, Big Gus decided he'd have a go at being "the man".  He's over 40 years old, who knew his memory was that good....!!! LOL  How he sneaked around Beefy without getting knocked down we'll never know.  I wasn't here but I guess Suzanne and John watched with amazement, said the old guy seemed to know what he was doing.  By today he was back to keeping an eye on the driveway gate, in case  someone is slow enough he can make a run for it...........!!!

Bonnie has finally had enough and she spends most of her time, trying to escape Beefy.  He spends his time, being about as obnoxious as he can be.  The big problem is...........Bonnie.  As a jenny she is programmed to behave in a certain way and she does, which of course Beefy sees as encouragement.  Leaving one or the other in their pens, really doesn't help the problem, it just starts over as soon as they are both out together.  I am happy to report that her feet and legs are holding up well, she isn't favoring her front feet, but she is sick and tired of the "game".  Can't blame her, he's pretty pushy and obnoxious.  

The boys settled in nicely, so far they haven't been out of their pens.  We like to have all 3 of us here when we let them out the first time and have to get them back in their pen for evening feeding, in case one of them equates being out with being.........free.....!!! Maybe this week-end.  

   

Melvin likes to get up close to see what you are doing.  I spent quite a bit of time trying to get a picture of them together.  But he insisted in being right in my face.  

Casper, the little white devil mule was seen on the wrong side of the perimeter fence yesterday.  We thought he had reformed, but guess not.  It's probably been close to a year, since he was getting out on a regular basis, and we assumed he had turned over a new leaf, obviously not.  We don't know if he's been getting out all this time, or if because it's spring and all the plants are leafing out he's just started up again.  Either way we really can't keep him in without refencing 30 acres..........don't think that's going to happen, the donkeys seem perfectly happy on the property.  We don't think he travels far, but we really don't know for sure......LOL

IT'S GETTING HOT...........

 So far we're not putting on fly masks.  There's flies but 2 or 3 on the donkey's faces isn't going to be a big nuisance.  My fly traps are catching quite a few and this time of year they are the ones with the little white round butts, which I think are fly eggs that haven't been laid yet.  The more I catch in the traps the less hatch out, at least I hope so.  

This picture is from the Tombstone race a few weeks ago.  Renee and Siggy are behind Kelly and Harley.  Harley looks like he's really stepping out, strutting his stuff.........!! 

Busy as usual, Suzanne set up a booth and took 5 donkeys over to Willcox last week-end for a 3 day event.  We had a perfect spot where the people filtered in from the parking lot, they all had to walk right past our space.  It even had permanent shade for the donkeys.  We were invited back next year and were told we'd have the same space, so I guess they enjoyed having the donkeys there.  

 Suzanne got everything set up before we got there. Saturday two of our volunteers, Susan and Debra came over to help out.  A lot of interest in the donkeys by adults and children alike.

TABLE BEFORE THE WIND STARTED BLOWING

Suzanne and all 5 donkeys, not easy to get all 5 of them in one shot.

Bella is the only one watching me, the boys are watching the direction the people come from.

Two little girls that spent quite a bit of time visiting the donkeys

Bella seemed to enjoy her outing, that's only the 2nd or 3rd time she's got to go out in public.  Always before her hind legs were too weak for the trailer ride and in fact she went down in the trailer a couple of years ago on a short trip.  We won't haul her on long trips, but if she enjoys being in the public, she can do short trips.  Her legs seem to be a lot stronger than they were when she came here.  

Beefy is still acting like a silly teenage boy that just discovered "girls"............!!  Bonnie the new girl is his favorite.  She likes him too, most of the time.  We have been keeping one in at night and the other one in during the daytime.  Beefy spends his time in solitary pacing back and forth, up and down the side of his pen.  As soon as they are out together he runs to wherever she is and whispers sweet nothings in her ear.  LOL   The last couple of days we've let them out all the time just like the other donkeys.  I sure hope he doesn't keep memories of entertaining the ladies forever, so far it's been 5 months since he was gelded.  I don't know how long he was a breeding jack, but he seems to know his job.....!!  

Tomorrow John and I are headed up to Tonopah to pick up a couple of geldings that will be boarding until probably October.  For years they have travelled back and forth from Colorado with their family, that prefer Arizona winters to Colorado's.  One of the geldings is over 20 years old and the woman has to have a hip replacement this week, so they thought they'd see if boarding works out for them.  Over the years we've boarded quite a few equine.  We always tell the people that it isn't like regular boarding, where they are kept in their own stall and paddock.  They will be out with the rest of the herd, of course Casper will try to let them know he's in charge for a couple of days.  Then they can spend the whole summer just being donkeys.  

It looks like Ruthie may be going to a forever home soon.  Jennifer is by herself on 10 acres of grass and trees and needs a new best friend.  Ruthie came back last year after being out as a foster for another jenny for 6 years.  She is such a laid back mellow donkey.  Eileen came out to visit and thinks she will be a good friend for Jennifer.  We will do a home study hopefully later this week.  Stay tuned.........!!

CHANGES ARE HAPPENING AROUND HERE

Suzanne and the donkeys made it home last night about 7:30pm.  She would have been here earlier but a fatal accident, slowed her progress down.  She had to backtrack which added time and mileage to the trip. 

 Sasha and Mamacita got a new home and stayed in California with Karin Usko and her husband John. We didn't get to say goodbye, but this will be an excellent home for these 2 girls.  Karin had spoken for Mamacita's expected baby last year.   They train BLM burros so they have a better opportunity to get good homes, but wanted a couple of minis also.  One of the BLM burros named Rita loves minis. Suzanne said Rita has already adopted the girls as her new best friends.  

Poor Bella, the girls were part of her herd.  She was rather lost when they left for the week-end.  Siggy and Harley were part of that herd also, so I'm sure they will hook back up, it just won't be the same.  We interfere so much in these animals lives, we decide where they will be, who they will be with and disrupt their natural ability to make decisions for themselves.  I always get a kick out of seeing an advertisement selling a horse that says, something about not riding anymore and he needs a job.  That's human talk, not horse talk.  That horse would probably prefer just to stand around under a tree and watch the world go by. rather than have the life he's use to disrupted and have to learn to try to please new people.  I read something that makes a lot of sense to me.  People are almost never satisfied with their animals accomplishments.  We always ask for more, we expect them to do better, be quicker, and do it without complaint.  "do it again, and just a little bit better than the last time"  I wonder if animals ever think........... "why should I try, it's never good enough"......?

While Frijolita and Ruthie were gone, Tula was the "entertainment" committee for the boys.  It's really interesting to watch the dynamics change from day to day.  Started out with Boaz, Beefy and Casper chasing after her all day.  Next day Oscar decided he wanted to participate, he let Beefy know he wasn't giving up with feet and teeth.  Boaz was still a player and insisted on staying right beside her.  Next day Oscar found something else to do, now the players are, Justice and Casper from afar, just watching the show.  Yesterday Boaz found something else to do, so Beefy is pretty much the only one left in pursuit of Tula.  They were all out together last night, and will be together today as soon as the tours are over.  It will be interesting to see what adding Ruthie and Frijolita to the herd will do to the game.  

Bonnie so far is a loner, she does her own thing and pretty much ignores the other donkeys.  She's walking really good, her gorilla tape bandage is still on her foot.  Tyler will be out the 3rd of April to check on her.  I think she is doing really well and might not need his expertise after that trim.  She is really well behaved and a very nice donkey.  We'll find out how bad her summer sores get when the weather and flies ramp up, which probably won't be too long.  The mesquite are budding, which the old timer's say is the start of spring.  

I guess one walk down was enough for Oscar, he has been going in his pen at feeding time, like that is what he's suppose to do.  WHEW......!!!  Glad we don't have to do another one......!!! LOL 

Might have 2 more boys coming in next week, to board over the summer.  Haven't seen them, just know one of them is named Jackson.  We've never had 2 with the same name here at the same time.  Well we did have Gus and then Big Gus.  The boys are standards, so I guess we can have a Big Jackson....LOL

OSCAR HAS SETTLED IN

 Well, he was a little hesitant at first, of course Casper the little white mini mule had to act like a brat and let Oscar know, he wasn't welcome.  Casper always does this for a day or so, I guess it's a mule initiation of some kind.  Only Casper seems to know the rules....!!  LOL  

Of course at the same time the girls are trying to catch the eye of the new guy and Beefy and Boaz are trying to keep the new guy away from "their girls.  The word chaos comes to mind. There would be mass squabbling going on and then things would quiet down, then someone would bray and it would start all over again.  

After the first day or so, Oscar decided he was still interested in the girls and and let Beefy and Boaz know in no uncertain terms he was in the fight.  He's very quick with his hooves and I'm pretty sure the bite on Beefy's neck was Oscar's contribution to the fun.  After one day of intent attention Boaz removed himself from the battle.  That was about the time Suzanne headed for California with 10 donkeys for the RUN WITH THE BURROS event put on by California Breakfast Burritos.  She took 4 of the girls with her, which cut down on the available girls to chase.  

It finally came down to just Beefy, Oscar and Tula for the most part.  Last night at roundup time, John got Tula in her pen and Beefy and Oscar decided they weren't leaving her pen area.  About 1 1/2 hours later, we managed to get Beefy in his pen and Oscar in his pen.  Beefy wasn't really a problem, although John would get him within sight of his pen, Tula would bray and he'd run back to her pen.  Don't know how many times they did that, but John wasn't amused.......!!! LOL

In the meantime I'm on the trail of Oscar, all over the 10 acres and a couple of side runs into Burroland.  With donkeys once you start you have to finish, or they win.  Of course I couldn't run with him, but I certainly could keep him in sight and let him know I was back there.  I don't know how many times we got all the way to his open gate and he'd mosey past like it wasn't even there and around we'd go again.  I'm proud to say, I didn't fall over rocks or tree branches enough to fall, which hasn't always been true in the past.......!! LOL

This morning he followed Susan one of our volunteers into his pen like he'd always done it that way.  I'm really glad, I didn't want to do it again at least for a day or so........!!!  Usually once you walk them down once or twice, they realize they aren't in charge and will cooperate.  But if you give up, in their mind they won and next time they expect to win again.  

Suzanne has reported in from California, she's had a great time, except for the wind.  One of the pleasures of spring I guess.  She said there were gusts of 50mph which can get pretty miserable.  

Here are some pictures from California to share

Don't know for sure but think this is waiting for the race to start

 Siggy and Mamacita

A closeup of stuff on the table between wind gusts...LOL

A customer with his new best friend, have no idea what it looked like by the time he got it home.  I think it's probably an indoor type of donkey.....!! 

Harley is trying to tell his team mate, the trailer and hay is that direction

Wonder what Siggy is thinking about?  Judging from the tightness of the lead and the set of his ears he might be thinking, this isn't what I had planned for today........!!! LOL

WELCOME TO THE NEIGHBORHOOD OSCAR........

This is the new boy Oscar this morning for his first outing.  He's been here a few days in his pen to acclimate to being stared at by the herd.  We let him and Bonnie out this morning before the others.  She's been going out all day for a few days and is walking really well considering how she was walking last week.  She seems comfortable stays by herself and the others haven't bothered her.  Jennies are a lot easier to introduce into the herd, less drama.  The boys have to decide who's boss.  Casper the little white mini mule has been talking "smack" all morning whenever Oscar gets close to his pen, I'm sure Casper thinks running at the corral panels and squealing is making Oscar go away, but Oscar just ignores him and goes on about his business.  

The next big step will be letting Beefy out for about an hour before round up for feeding tonight.  He hasn't been out with Bonnie, only at night when she is in her pen.  Unfortunately she's a typical jenny with an attractive new guy in town.  When she's out she spends time by his pen, behaving in a very unladylike way, which means his pen has to be fixed.  So far he hasn't torn it down, and hopefully all the introductions can be made and herd integration take place before that happens.  Our pens aren't heavy enough for a determined mammoth, he just hasn't figured that out yet.  

Last week-end was the 3rd annual Donkey Dash in Tombstone.  We had our usual booth and 4 of our minis were in the race.  

Mamacita got to see her last baby Nugget for the first time since he was a baby.

They seemed to recognize each other.  Mama had been a breeder for a guy that sold the babies and we were told she had 5 babies, Nugget was her last one.

Nugget and his team mate Lisa seem to have a difference of opinion at this stage of the race.  Glad they decided to work as a team for a first place finish in the 6 mile race.......!!  

 START OF THE RACE

Fun video of the day