SIMMONS AND HONCHO UPDATE.......!!!

Simmons and Honcho went to their forever home in July 2012, and I'd been wondering how they were doing.  Usually adopters keep in touch for a few e-mails or phone calls and then it would be up to me to keep in touch.  I don't want to be a "helicopter" type of former "mom", so I'm always very happy to get an update.  

Cindy's last 2 sentences says it all, "I hope things are going well at the rescue, and thanks again for the honor of being these two long ears Mom.  We love them to pieces"........!!!  What more could you ask for, even though Honcho steals stuff and unless they find it in the water trough, they usually don't find it.  Simmons has turned into a cuddle bunny and although they are bonded, he really loves being with people.  She said they have so many good laughs with their antics, especially Honcho.  

Thanks goodness, Honcho was a pretty hard sell, he actually came thru here 4 times, two of them for cause.  'Cause Honcho couldn't behave himself...........  I'm glad he found someone that appreciates his uniqueness and intelligence.  

Cisco was limping last night and still limping this morning.  I didn't give him any bute last night.  I couldn't find anything wrong, so it could have been an abscess.  You don't give bute for an abscess until it opens, because it would slow the process.  But this morning he had a little puffiness in his fetlock, so he got bute and a cold pack.  Hope it gets better soon.  His legs are not good from being a roping donkey in a roping school, so he doesn't need this. 

Courtney got here last night & did some trimming.  With Gus she just took a little bit off all over the bottom, didn't try to lower the heels or shorten the toes.  If he likes them the way they are, so be it.........!!!  He's walking just fine this morning, she was worried that anything she did might upset his walking.  

She agrees, Jenny's rear foot looks horrible.  She is still on antibiotics, & the x-rays taken a few weeks back, looked decent & didn't show any infection anywhere.  But since then she's blown an abscess on the front on her hoof about half way down.  The area just keeps getting more cracked & now is up into the coronet band with an open slit about 2 inches long.  

I have a call into the local vet clinic to see if Dr. Megan can come out again & evaluate the situation.

The good news is, Courtney thought her front feet looked good.  She's wearing boots all the time on the fronts, & it seems to be making her more comfortable, so she walks around more, which helps to improve the circulation in her feet, we hope.  

Heard from Honcho & Simmons new Mom.  She said they are doing just great, & are really entertaining.   Cindy seems to appreciate Honcho's overbearing personality, which is wonderful.  Not everyone would think he was "cute", when he pulls some of the stunts he is capable of pulling.  She says now that it's cooling off, she wants to start clicker training, at least with Honcho.  He knows the basics & is a big show-off, so they should have a lot of fun. 

Georgette & I will head out in the morning for Colorado & a visit with Kathy Dean at Longhopes.  Should be fun, but I hate leaving John with all the chores.  Right now we are having a heatwave, my back porch thermometer says 108.9 right now, & the sun isn't even shining.

This morning Lysa & I did "doctoring", so she can do it while I'm gone on the days she is here.  The flies are trying to eat the donkeys alive, especially the ones with immune system problems, which is about 5 of them.  Two of them have socks on their legs, & 2 of them have floppy material hanging down from velcro strips above their knees.  We'll see which one does the best job.  Chantilly is doing OK without having to be "dressed".  They are all getting Vitamin E, biotin, & Flaxseed oil, but right now I don't think anything is going to stop the flies.  I put a couple of new fly traps out last night about 2 hours before dark, & by chore time this morning there was about 1/2 inch of little bodies floating in the liquid.  Hopefully by now they are stuffed with the little monsters.  We catch about 40 pounds of flies a year, figuring each trap catches about a pound.  That's a lot of flies that are not reproducing more flies, at least I hope so.....!! 

Haven't heard how Honcho & Simmons, (probably now known as Cisco) are settling in.  I'm sure they are doing just fine, both of them are pretty easy going & not drama queens.  If John doesn't hear anything by the time I get back I'll have to give them a call.  

I hope it's cooler in Colorado......!!!!!

This was yesterday when we delivered Honcho & Simmons to their new home.  As you can see they were very upset & frightened at this new happening in their lives................NOT......!!!  "Oh! boy new people with treats, life is good.........!!! "  Copper came over to their pen, laid his ears back a couple of times & once he found out people would pay attention to him & give treats, he didn't seem to care one way or the other about the donkeys being there. 

That is GRASS underneath their feet & it didn't take them but a few seconds to put their heads down & start nibbling.  They planned on leaving the boys in the small pen for a few days.  I think Cindy said she is off work tomorrow Tuesday, so I would imagine it will happen then.  I don't foresee any problems, I'm sure Copper will lunge at them with ears back a couple of times, & they will show him their hind feet & that will probably be it.  Not much drama..........!!! 

Friday we took Simmons & Cheyenne to the vet.  Simmons at some time has got his face caught on something that pulled a piece of flesh loose.  When it healed it stuck out like a skin tag & if you put a halter on him, of course it usually got hung up.  It was rather small & looked like it would be easy to "sneak" up on & nip it off quickly with either a scalpel or sharp scissors & I was tempted.  Glad I didn't try it, when she clipped it, blood shot out about 2 feet, she said she thought it was right over the main vein running down the side of his face, when she saw it.  She didn't want to put in a stitch because it would leave a "dimple", so it took awhile to get it to stop.  It looked pretty good by Sunday, & I gave them some thuja zinc oxide to keep on it, so the flies don't think it's a fly feasting area.  Which right now the flies are absolutely horrible, thank goodness for fly masks, I can't imagine how miserable the donkeys would be with all those flies in their eyes. 

Cheyenne is one of the minis, in fact she is the smallest about 32 inches tall.  Lately she has been quidding & losing weight.  Actually her weight is about perfect, but we're so use to seeing "chubbies" she looks thin.  Didn't find much wrong, she has a few sharp areas on her teeth but not enough to cause problems.  So I had a blood workup done, just to have a base line in case we need it later.  

Saturday we went to a surprise birthday party.  Considering his birthday was almost a month ago & there was nothing celebrated then, he was definitely "surprised"..........!!!!  He was too nosy at the time, so the party was put off for awhile.  LOL  He says he will get even............hmmmmm..........!!! 

We got to see Selena & Falena, aka Squeeky & Momma.  Falena is now out of her special shoe, & walking just fine.  Tyler had said it would take about a year, & that's about how long it's been.  They absolutely adore the girls, it is a wonderful foster home.  They would adopt the girls in a minute, but by law they still belong to the state as strays, even though the state never called me back.  If they were cows or horses they might get more involved, but burros............??  Not worth their valuable time. That's OK, the girls have a perfect home, with people that think they are great, so who cares if the paperwork isn't right? The state sure doesn't. 

Thursday, Georgette & I are heading out on a ROAD TRIP to Colorado.  We'll only be gone 5 days, poor John will not only have the donkeys, but will also be feeding Mother 6 times a day.  It's not really difficult, I have a list of "available" foods & she will tell you which one she wants. He's worried about it, but I've already told her she will have to be involved & anyway she won't starve in 5 days, I don't think........!!! LOL 

We're going up to visit Kathy Dean at Longhopes Donkey Shelter.  Kathy has an outstanding rescue/sanctuary & utilizes her resources wisely & Georgette & I don't really need much of an excuse to hit the road anyway.  This trip had been planned long before Mother decided I wasn't too bossy & she'd come live with us. John said he wanted me to still go, & the great thing about John is, he really means it.  I'm not sure I'd be so generous in the same position..........!!!!  LOL

Did our home study for Simmons & Honcho today.  It rained right before we got there & they live down a road that...........well......... shall we say is a little challenging after a rain.  One of their neighbor's had sand bags along the road to divert water, if that gives you a clue.  

Pretty area though they have a great view of the Huachuca Mountains, & the roads probably keep people that like sidewalks & Circle K's from thinking about moving to the country........!!!!!  

First thing I noticed is there is only 2 or 3 mesquite trees in the pasture........Yippee.....!!!  Simmons doesn't have a weight problem, but Honcho always has.  Right now he is plumping up nicely with the bean season in full swing.  The pasture is native stuff & we talked to them about not even feeding the donkeys as long as the "weeds" are out there.  

They have a quarter horse gelding, that is quite a character, wanted to be right in the middle of us when we went out to look things over. The donkeys have been around horses, but Copper hasn't been around donkeys, so the first day or so will probably be interesting for all.............!!!!! We'll move them next Sunday the 5th of Aug.  Simmons has a date with the vet the 3rd to have a piece of skin removed from his nose.  It has gotten caught on something & when it healed it didn't lay down.  It looks something like a skin tag & I seriously thought of sneaking up on him with a scalpel & cutting it off.  But I also thought of many things that could go wrong with such a thought, & decided to let the vet do it.

Tonight Pancho went into Honcho's pen, Honcho went into Simmons & Pancho's pen to see how he & Simmons would get along.  Needless to say when Simmons got thru acting like an idiot with Tula & went in his pen, he was shocked at this turn of events.  Simmons is a little food aggressive, & Pancho has learned the drill to stay out of trouble & still get to eat.  When he started acting like it was HIS hay, I got in his face & we had a "chat".  We chatted 3 or 4 times & I finally decided to put hay in 2 places at least for tonight.  They both eat fast & got finished in record time & I really shouldn't worry about Honcho not getting enough to eat.  For all of Honcho's quirkiness he is not a fighter, nor will he stand up to the other donkeys.  If there is a problem he just finds something else to do.  Might be a good way to put him on a diet, I guess.........!!!!   LOL

This is Simmons yesterday following John into his pen for breakfast.  He was down at Tula's pen, which absolutely drives her crazy, she hates it when any of the riff raff get in HER pen.  And he is like most guys, completely oblivious to her reaction to his devotion.

This morning he decided he wasn't going to leave her side, no matter what, so around & around we all went, Tula usually in the lead, John & I trying to separate them enough for her to get in the pen & one of us to shut the gate.  And a very determined Simmons, staying close enough to touch her, which REALLY irritates her.  She finally took off at a dead run, caught him flat footed, & I got to the gate before he did.  Even then he kept trying to turn back to her pen before finally giving up.  

We're doing a home study tomorrow for Simmons & Honcho..........won't be any girls in that home, sorry Simmons.........!!!!

Got an e-mail this morning from Stacy Bijou's foster Mom.  He looks like he's doing real good, with his new little friends.  Little being the optimum word here, he's the big boy in the herd.  

Looks like we're having mini horse races.....!!! 

 And no boots on Bijou......WOO WOO....!!!!

Cinnamon is 24 inches tall

A couple came out yesterday to see about adding a couple of donkeys to their family.  Looks like Simmons & Honcho got the nod.  I explained that Honcho has been thru here 4 times, twice because his family moved & twice because he is Honcho which means he has attitude & is very smart.  Guess Cindy likes spunky donkeys.  Simmons isn't any slouch in the spunk department either, so she's probably going to have a lot of fun with those two.  

We'll do a home study in a couple of weeks, & if everything looks good, we'll deliver the boys to their new home.  

Jenny lost her boot again.  SIGH!  They are so difficult to find, especially in the brush.  But they do such a good job of protecting her foot, much better than just the duct tape or Gorilla tape boot.  I went out & looked for it yesterday & didn't find it.  When John came home from town he went out & it didn't take him long to come in carrying the boot.  I think in the future I'll just cut out one step in the search & just rely on him to find it rather than me going out & tramping around in the heat.  LOL

Going racing tonight, should be a fun night.  I'm racing, our son is racing, & Zac is back from college in Pennsylvania & will race his Dad's factory stock.  The Toyota John bought for me to race last year was Zac's race car.  In fact I was riding as a passenger the night Zac won his first race.  He's a great kid, although according to a friend that has seen him, he has really grown & filled out in the year he's been gone.  So maybe I can't call him "kid" anymore. 

WHEW IT'S HOT.........!!!!!

Been over 100 degrees in the area for the last week or so.  I think last year for 99 days Tucson had 100 degrees or more in a row, broke the record.  Hope we aren't going to do it again this year..........!!!! 

Last night the weatherman said the humidity was only 8%, sooooooo, if you are inside or in the shade it's not so bad.  If you are unfortunate enough to be out in the sun, it doesn't take long to figure out, it's HOT..........!!!

The donkeys get somewhere for the afternoon & stay there, not much moving around.  They have lots of mesquite trees to stand under & seem to know where the prevailing winds are.  We've always said, if you want to know where it is the warmest in the winter or coolest in the summer, watch the donkeys.  

There are some interesting relationships going on amongst the herd.  Honcho follows Boaz around.  Considering I thought they were going to kill each other the first few days Honcho was here, this turn of events is a little strange.  Boaz doesn't really show much interest in Honcho so far.   

Simmons & Jenny are no longer an item, Simmons is hanging more with the guys.  Guess that was just a passing fancy on his part.  Jenny could care less, when new guys come on the property, she does her thing for a day or two & if nothing happens she just ignores them.  

Pancho hasn't found anyone to run with yet.  He tried Buddy Brat for a few days.  That's a little confusing because they look a lot alike, although Pancho is a little darker grey.  And Buddy is a little heavier.  He looks at Simmons every once in awhile, but Simmons is too busy doing his thing.  When they are in their pen eating, Simmons stays busy showing Pancho who is in charge.  Pancho is very sweet, hope he finds a buddy. 

Gus spends most of his day hanging around by the dog pen.  The biggest & best dust bathing hole is there & he likes to lay there in the heat of the afternoon. He's going real good this summer, hasn't really had to have a lot of medication to keep his feet comfortable.  And his feet are actually looking pretty good for him, although to most people his feet are too tall, heels WAY too high.  Courtney has tried to take them down & it makes his feet sore.  So everyone has agreed to keep him trimmed to where he is comfortable & not worry about how they look.  

Just heard from Linda, Chester's Mom.  When we were up at the clinic Dr. Voss ran a test for Vally Fever.  Came back positive.  HUH?  Hate to show my ignorance, but I know very little about Valley Fever & never even thought about equine getting it.  I knew people & dogs get it, but that was about the limit of my knowledge.  Checked on the internet & there really isn't much information about equine Valley Fever.  Dr. Voss is going to give her a prescription for a drug she said they use for people & dogs.  

One symptom of Valley Fever is joint pain, I guess that is what caught Dr. Voss's attention.  Just went in & checked Merck on the internet, that was after I couldn't even find Valley Fever in the index of my Merck manual.  I can only assume Valley Fever in equines isn't very common, did find out the incubation period is 1-4 weeks. 

I forgot to ask the clinic how long we could leave Jenny's foot bandaged without changing it.  We've gone 6 days & it looked just fine.  If we could go 1 week, that would be easy to keep track of.   When they took the bandage off, John asked about the smell.  Dr. Voss said it's just stinky feet, like ours can get if they are sweaty.  OBTW the bandage they put on wore thru in 2 days, I've had one last 4 days.........!!!  Still haven't found the boot she lost a few days ago. 

Took Mocha & Tucker to the vet this morning to get their blood tests & health certificates.  As soon as the results for the Coggins test gets back, we'll make arrangements to haul them to their new home.  Tucker is 9 months old today & we sure are going to miss him.  No matter what he's doing, he always comes up to the fence to greet you, if you are in the neighborhood.  Before this morning I had never seen him kick.  But he did NOT appreciate having his temperature taken & gave one of the "frustrated baby" kicks they do when they can't control what's going on.  Ruger is about 1 1/2 years old & he still does it.  

Buddy Brat got  a complete blood work-up for Thyroid & also Glucose & Insulin.  I know he is insulin resistant, want to find out how much.  Poor little guy has always had a weight problem & he loves to eat. 

In the "musical" pen dance, he ended up without a pen, & Honcho & BlackJack are sharing a pen with the hay bunk down the middle.  We dump their hay into the bunk & they can both eat from their respective sides.  Well, they would be able to except BJ has decide Honcho doesn't need to eat.  He makes ugly faces at Honcho & Honcho respects BJ's space, although their space is separated by the bunk.......Sigh........!!  I guess Honcho's run-in's with Boaz have made a believer out of him.

Buddy hates not having a pen, so we tried putting a corral panel across the side of the feed room to give him a feeling of being in a pen.  Not good enough, so John is out in the heat of the day, building another pen for Honcho, so he doesn't have to put up with "nasty" BJ.  BJ so loves to have someone that actually takes him serious.  And he's going to put up a "real" pen for Buddy, so he will be comfortable in "his" space.  

This is Simmons on the left & Pancho on the right.  They came in yesterday morning & have already met everyone thru the corral panels.  We'll keep them in for a couple of days to get acclimated without having everyone in their face at one time.  Boaz looked them over pretty good last night, daring them to challenge his authority I guess.  They just kind of looked at him like, " whatever", so I don't think there will be any fireworks like there was with Honcho.  Honcho by the way has been staying out of Boaz's space & everything is nice & quiet.  

Jenny of course came by & did her "slut" walk for them last night.  Poor little Pancho got so excited he jumped on Simmons.  I don't think Simmons appreciated the experience, he seemed to think he should be the guy.  Jenny meets & greets every guy that comes on the property & always has.  She's still got Buddy's attention, he loves to follow her around. 

Well Honcho is getting an education, not sure he's enjoying it.  Boaz is still after him, & Honcho came in tonight with bite marks on his butt.  Of course Boaz came in with marks on his chest, so I assume Boaz was the "hound" & Honcho was the "fox".  Honcho seems to make all the right moves, when Boaz notices him, he starts mouthing to show he accepts Boaz being higher on the command chain.  I haven't seen what causes it to change into "I'm going to get you" but obviously something does.

Jenny came in tonight with her duct tape boot all "slithered" to the side.  That hasn't happened before.  Gathered up tape, Elasticon, scissors & towel for her to stand on.  I hate to try to fix her boot outside in the dirt.  

It looked like I tried to make the sides of the boots too short & it didn't have enough area to stick good, so as she walked it started coming loose.  With the weather as hot as it is now & getting hotter, I don't want her foot to sweat anymore than it has been.  But I guess a shorter duct tape boot isn't the answer.  

Heard from Stacy about Bijou.  She said he's a little ouchy today & I can understand why.  She trimmed his feet yesterday & had to take off quite a bit.  But he was walking really good right afterwards.  She's trying to get him weaned out of the boots.  He's on real soft ground, so hopefully he will be able to transition to barefoot without boots. 

I'm going to try to go out & see him Saturday (No racing this week).  Her equine dentist is coming out to do some of Stacy's horses.  She said she found a couple of hooks on him, so we'll get those taken care of while the dentist is there.  

We're also probably going to have his nasolacrimal ducts flushed.  He's got goopy eyes, & we've thought it was allergies, but Stacy seems to think he might need to be flushed. 

I hope Stacy doesn't mind if I put this video of Dusty on the blog.  I missed him when he was really doing his thing, running up & down the fence trying to get a better view of Bijou.  Energetic little guy, I guess health wise he's really had a pretty rough life.  She got him when he was a month old, I didn't ask how old he is now.  She said he is so ornery if he was a full size horse, he'd be a rogue.......!!!  LOL  The word spoiled comes to mind, she said they never knew how long he would live, so they really spoiled him, & he fooled them by getting better. 

This is Bijou with one of the dwarfs & in the 3rd pen is the little 24 inch dwarf.  I forget to take a picture of him.  Both of them have horrible fused joints, but they were very friendly & move around.  She says when she is out in the pen area, she lets all the little ones out together & they get along just fine.  I don't know if Bijou will be with them or not, he looks big compared to them.  Stacy has already talked to her hoof guru.  She's seen his x-rays, about all they can do is get the heels down & leave the sole alone.   His soles are pretty thin & the coffin bone is really close to the ground.  She is hoping to get him out of the boots, I put him in the boots when he came here, so he's been getting along without them before.  OBTW Stacy likes the name Bijou, so I guess he'll keep it. 

Honcho is getting along just fine now.  This morning when he came out of his pen Boaz was standing there waiting for him.  Honcho spun around & kicked at Boaz, & I got on both of them.  Then they walked off together.  I guess they are still figuring out who's going to be in charge.  I would imagine it will be Boaz, but I could be wrong.  Honcho isn't serious enough to be in charge.....!!!

Both Honcho & Buddy are losing their "sausage" look.  And their neck crests.  We're soaking Buddy's hay & they are both getting Magnesium Oxide & Al-Car to help with balancing the hay & to help with their insulin resistance.  Honcho has always been built "sturdy" like an ox, but he's never had problems with fat pockets or anything.  Buddy on the other hand has always looks like a sack full of basketballs, & no matter what we try, he doesn't lose his "basketballs".  We keep trying though, John said he needs to get bit by a rattlesnake like Quilla did a few years ago.  I don't think that would be a good idea..........!!

As of this morning there are 5 fly masks missing, 2 of Boaz's, 1 for Ruger, Ruthie & Tucker came in this morning missing their's...........!!!! SIGH  It's too hot to go looking for them, although John says he's going to, after he gets the hay weighed.  

Speaking of hay I called the broker yesterday.................OMG....!!!!  He said it might come down in price with the next cutting, but he has no idea how much or if it will actually come down.  Soooooo he'll let me know when the big day is & I can prepare my checkbook for sticker shock........!!!! LOL  Sure glad our last load got here before everything went crazy.  I doubt that hay prices will ever go down very much, for a lot of reasons, but the most important one is.........people will pay the price & have been "trained" to pay it.  Hay right now in this area is still selling for $18 & up a bale.  I'm sure everyone would be thrilled if it went down to $15 a bale, which is about twice what we were paying just a few years ago.  I just wonder if it will even go down that far.........!!!

Honcho has been staying in pens since his last outing a couple of days ago.  John let him out this morning, & the next thing we know, dust is flying.........!!!  He's like the new kid on the block, wanting everyone to pay attention to him.  The dust flying was Boaz "protecting" his "herd".  Boaz actually wasn't being real nasty & Honcho wasn't being pushy, so it didn't take long for things to settle down.  When it came time to go in pens for breakfast, Honcho followed John in like a good boy.  So maybe he's settling down & we'll be able to let him out without him acting silly.  

Tomorrow we'll be moving little Bijou the mini horse to his new foster home.  

The home he is in now, was getting a little too busy, & they need to simplify theirs lives.  

This is not a good place for him, the ground is too hard for his feet & once everyone else is out running around, there was no one to keep him company.  I put out the word & an almost perfect home popped up.  Experienced with chronic founder, trims feet, lots of animals & he won't be the littlest horse there.  Stacy has a 23 inch dwarf horse, so Bijou will be "big" for a change.  I've never seen a 23 inch horse before, I'll be sure to get a picture...........!!!! 

 DAISY RESTING UP FROM PLAYING WITH THE BOYS

We let Honcho out of his pen yesterday & everything seemed to be going well, no one paying attention to anyone else & life is good.  

Last night right after we went to bed, we heard the thundering of hooves, grunting, braying & in general lots of commotion going on.  Got out of bed, put on enough clothes to survive in the mesquite brush, grabbed some flashlights & went out to see what was going on.  

Good grief, almost EVERYBODY was running as a group, some of them running from & others chasing.  Boaz & Honcho were running as a couple, & when I flashed a light on Honcho's forehead I noticed it looked rather rough, like he'd ran into a tree.  (I've seen this type of wound before from crazy boys)  No one, & I mean no one was paying the least bit of attention to us, they were too busy, trying to escape or having fun, depending on their involvement in the "party".  We finally got Honcho trapped in his pen, & then it was fairly easy to get Boaz to go into his.  

Once they were corralled everyone else stopped & stood around looking confused, they aren't use to seeing us at midnight unless we're coming home from the races.  

Honcho was overheated, dripping sweat & breathing so heavy I was afraid he was going to collapse.  I grabbed a rag & started soaking him with cool water, much to his disgust.  Donkeys are NOT fans of water.  It was hard to tell who was the aggressor, so we left both of them in for the night & I finally got Honcho cooled off.  

We also tried to find Pepper, Jenny & Tucker to make sure they were OK, & hadn't gotten in the line of fire, but in the dark unless they want to be found you could walk within a few feet & not see them.  

Went to bed, got up this morning & I told John to let the warriors out before feeding to see what they would do.  Next thing we know we're having a repeat performance, but in the daylight we could figure out what was going on.  This time Honcho was chasing little Tucker & Mocha was trying to protect Tucker.  Honcho was ignoring her like she wasn't even there.  Boaz was trying to engage Honcho, but everyone was moving too fast.  So I would imagine last night Boaz was trying to protect Daisy who was leading the pack when we went out.  I guess he sees everyone as part of his herd, & Honcho is an outsider.  It took awhile to get them separated, but once Honcho was in a pen, everything slowed down.  

Tucker was just fine, & so was Pepper & Jenny.  I have no idea what is going thru Honcho's little brain, but he's going to have to stay in a pen until we get it figured out.  I also have an appointment for blood tests for both him & Buddy.  I need to find out where Buddy's numbers are for Thyroid & also Insulin Resistance.  He has always had a real problem with weight & with the numbers maybe we can figure out something that will work.  Honcho will be tested for testosterone.  He was gelded at the age of 5 by a vet, so I wouldn't expect him to be proud cut, but I guess stranger things have happened. I wouldn't say all his behavior is stud like, a lot of it is just Honcho.  Maybe coming into a situation where there are so many donkeys, just got him all excited, who knows.  We'll find out. 

Courtney got out yesterday late as usual.........!!!  She was suppose to be here around 10:30, got here after 4pm.  Needless to say the ones that had waited ALL day in their pens for her to get here, weren't very happy.  Courtney has never figured out there is only 24 hours in a day, & I don't think she ever will........!!!

She did 8 of them, including Gus & Jenny, which are the reason she was here again so soon.  She wants me to send pictures of Jenny's feet to the clinic in Gilbert to make sure she's trimming the way they want her trimmed, & also to see if there is anything else we need to do.  We don't see any growth down from the coronet over the resection area, but it does look like the open area is getting narrower.  The hole in the bottom has grown out enough that she trimmed some of it off.  So I guess we're making progress.  Jenny was one of those that stayed in her pen all day & didn't appreciate the situation.  She wasn't really horrible, but she did let us know she wasn't real happy.  Although animal crackers given at regular intervals seemed to soothe her nerves.

Courtney was pleased with how well Gus is walking & the fact that he is moving around more than he did a year ago.  She also noticed how svelte he's getting.  He still has his little saddle pads, but like she said, when she first saw him, you could have set a dinner service for 6 on his back.  Now maybe just service for two.  He might keep those pads, a lot of time they don't lose them, but he does look much more comfortable.  

She noticed Honcho's feet were pretty long so we decided to do him.  When Honcho left here 1 1/2 year ago, he was good with his feet.  I put a halter on him, he took one look at Courtney & absolutely had a tantrum.  For a donkey he is very quick & always has had a lot of attitude.  Let me put it this way, you better be smart & knowledgeable or he'll be running the place in no time.  Courtney said, "no problem",  She has a couple of rope halters with knots that line up with the nerves on either side of the nose.  All rope halters have the knots but these are "special"....!!!  Put that on him, & he never even challenged it, he stood like it was what he had planned for the day.  Which of course irritated both Courtney & me since he could have done that in the first place.  But he's always challenged authority & guess he always will.  I'd love to find him a home where his personality was appreciated as it is, he could be taught to do just about anything.......if he wanted to do it. 

Found out yesterday what probably happened to the masks Boaz is missing.  When we were rounding up last night, BlackJack had a death grip on Boaz's mask.  Yelling & chasing on our part just made it more fun, no matter what we did, BJ wouldn't let go........Grrrrr!  Finally Boaz took a quick turn & BJ lost his grip.  I wondered why Boaz was the only one losing masks.  Now that Buddy Brat is back BJ will have 2 of them to pester.  Years ago I went out & saw dust & dirt flying up in the air.  BlackJack had hold of Buddy's mask & had reared up in the air, so all 4 of Buddy's feet were off the ground.  GOOD FLY MASKS, sorry Betty quit making them..........!!!!!

OUR LITTLE FAMILY IS GROWING..........!!

Got a call this afternoon that isn't all that unusual for a rescue unfortunately.  When we adopt out donkeys there is a contract that says if for any reason the family can no longer keep them, the donkeys will be returned to us.  

Honcho & Buddy Brat have been in their home for about 1 1/2 years.  This morning Honcho killed a 9 month old goat & tore another up pretty bad.  The people wanted the donkeys gone as soon as possible, so we went & got them as soon as we could get the trailer hooked to the truck.  

 BUDDY BRAT

 HONCHO

This happens occasionally, although usually it's with newborns.  They weren't there before, so they must be an enemy, & the donkeys will stomp them, like they would an intruding dog.  Not sure why he went after a goat he had been with in a 4 acre area for months, the survivor is a buck.  Maybe he was starting to feel like a "man" & challenged Honcho, who knows.  The other one was a young doe.

Poor Honcho, this is the 4th time he's been here, & even this time isn't really his fault, he was acting like a donkey.  But people don't want to hear that when something like this happens.  I'm glad they bothered to call rather than just shoot him which is what happens often, depending on how mad the people are.  

They are both way too heavy, & Buddy's crest is very large & hard, so he will be starting on a diet tonight.  Buddy has always had a problem with weight, or maybe height.  If he was taller he wouldn't be so fat..........!!!! 

We had to do a "pen dance", obviously Buddy needs to eat by himself to help control what he eats.  BlackJack is getting thrown out of his pen, & will eat at liberty from a bunk by the feed room.  Honcho went in his pen.  Buddy went in Jenny's pen, & she will go back in the hay barn, which is going to be a battle.  She prefers HER pen & let's you know it.  

So things will be a little confusing for a few days, as everyone shifts their ideas of what is right in their world. 

THE LOST IS FOUND...!!

The weather calmed down, Buddy Brat & Honcho were found a few miles from home headed for Vail.  Actually they had found a wash to stand in till the weather got better.  Lauren said when Justin (her husband, not our donkey Justin) found them they were really glad to see him.  Followed him all the way home. 

Well forget about Cisco going along with anything.  When John went out this morning Gus was in his pen, so John went ahead & shut him in.  Rounded up everyone, looked around & Cisco was standing outside "his" pen.  Wouldn't move not even for a treat.  I finally had to halter & lead him to that "other" pen.  Then he wouldn't eat.  Of course all the time Gus was enjoying his breakfast.  SIGH!  They don't make it easy do they?  It will take a few days I guess for Cisco to give up.  

Our weather went to hell just as we started feeding, 30mph winds & rain.  Makes for a fun time for all, especially the ones that don't have a shelter.  As soon as they got thru eating, we let the ones without shelters out, so they can find a place to wait out the weather.  It's suppose to drag into Monday & in fact they are forecasting snow down to 3000 feet.  We are at 3300......!!!  

Just got a call from Buddy Brat & Honcho's mom.  She said someone in the neighborhood has been opening gates & letting animals out lately.  Said their dogs had a fit about 3am, they didn't see anything, but when they got up this morning, gate wide open, horses & donkeys gone.  They found the horses visiting with the neighbor's horses, but no donkeys.  Because of the nasty weather I would imagine they are hunkered down somewhere waiting for the weather to clear.  Her husband had been out driving around & she had been on the phone, but no one has seen them.  One thing about it, if someone wanted to steal animals they'd have taken the horses, not the donkeys.