I went to see Donkey and Gracie at their new home last
weekend. As soon as he spotted me coming ‘round the bend, Donk came trotting
down the path to meet me at the fence. It was nice to see that. He recognized
me and he was happy to see me. I pet him for a moment, and his new owner
Terresa pointed out that he had had his hooves clipped.
“Wow. He’s never had that done before; at least not at our
place!” I said. Our farrier (the third and only successful one to trim the
hooves on our big nervous Belgian) told us it couldn’t be done without a
stockade. Luckily the glacial moraine that Donkey trots over in our pasture in
the summer usually keeps his hooves trimmed down fairly well.
Terresa said the farrier just offered to take care of the
donkey while he was there working with the horses. Donkey gave up the front
feet fairly willingly but he never trusts anything that is going on where he
can’t see, behind him. So he kicked, and the farrier hung on to those back legs
until Donkey got tired of swinging him back and forth. Now he has four
beautifully trimmed hooves. I told Terresa that Donkey learned that trick from
the horse. Our farrier has to ride her feet like he’s in the rodeo until she
gets tired and lets him finish her pedicure.
While we continued to talk, Donkey lost interest and
wandered away, back to the feeder. The sheep then moved in for some attention.
Gracie wasn’t quite as anxious to see me, as she has acquired a new beau, Dodge
(get it? He’s a ram). She was probably worried that my presence meant the end
of her date. She came over for a quick pet on the nose and then took off down
the meandering path with her new bff, who kept sniffing her neck and trying to
jump up on her hind end. She would slow down, turn around and wait for him to
catch up, then take off again. He’s going to be exhausted by the time this
mating season is through.
Big Mama, the matriarch ewe of the Triple B Ranch, was quite
curious about the visitor. She is probably the biggest sheep I’ve ever seen.
While we fussed over her, Donkey decided he would come back for another visit.
As he approached we filmed him with my phone. Terresa commented on how handsome
he is. I agreed. I swear that Donkey knows our tone of voice because all that
fawning made his head swell a bit and as he passed the sheep he did a little
flip kick in their general direction.
“Donkey!” I gasped.
“I have not seen him do that since he’s been here,” Terresa
commented.
“Maybe it’s because I’m here,” I said. I think he was trying
to assert his dominance over this portion of the farm population. I’m not sure
how he would do with the horses on the other side of the fence but on this
side, he’s the biggest of the bunch.
Jack, the little burro, came over for a pat and Donkey
tossed his head at him to frighten him away. Jack didn’t stay around to
challenge him.
So far Terresa says there has been no physical contact
between the two guardians of the sheep. I hope Donkey minds his manners or
he’ll be getting his chain reattached to his halter very soon.
I like that he has his sheep-guarding job back again,
because that will keep him occupied. And he has Jack to keep him company. Donkey
and Gracie have wonderful new owners who are very involved and attentive with
their animals. Terresa is full-time farming now so she will be around if Donkey
tries anything sneaky, like opening the gate with his big, agile lips and
letting all the animals out.
So far Jack has been the one gently removing the water heater
out of the tank, probably because he was trying to find a way to pass the time
on a quiet afternoon, or because he knew it would get him some attention. I
know it’s only a matter of time before Donk decides the younger and less
experienced Jack should learn a thing or two about how to have fun on a sheep
farm.
I don’t want to label him a bad influence but he does come
with a warning label. It reads, “trouble when bored.”
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