OUR CORE PRINCIPLESOur work in donkey rescue and welfare has been shaped by two fundamental principles:
(1) Donkeys are not small horses but a species of their own, though they can procreate with horses (producing biologically infertile offspring). (2) Like all animals, especially mammals, donkeys are not just living bodies but have a rich mental and emotional life as well. Accordingly, promoting donkey well-being requires not just an understanding of their physical needs (which falls within the province of veterinarians and those instructed by veterinarians) but equally an understanding of, and an interest in, their mental and emotional needs. Both of these principles are at the basis of our reasoning of why donkey rescues are needed. |
Why a Donkey Rescue?
People sometimes wonder why we have a rescue organization specifically for donkeys and mules, if there are also horse rescues that take in a few donkeys or mules here and there. Others wonder why we aren't a horse rescue in the first place like all the other equine rescues in the State of New Mexico. After all, there is more money in horses, and horses are traditionally regarded as more 'useful' equines than donkeys.
The founders of The Longears Safehouse first fell in love with donkeys in 2009 after taking a stroll around their neighborhood. They came across some loose Great Pyrenees that had escaped from a small farm property nearby, and when taking a closer look they spotted a small group of alpacas and donkeys confined in various pens there. They subsequently befriended the elderly couple that owned the farm and for a while helped them care for their donkeys a few times a week.
The next year, they learned about a small donkey rescue in their town called "Lucky 13". They went to volunteer for the rescue and wound up adopting a total of 4 donkey geldings from them. Sadly, that rescue closed its doors in 2011, and that was when our founders were first called to action by others on Facebook to take in a group of donkeys in need that had been spotted at the sale barn in Los Lunas. That's how our mission started.
We are in existence as an organization because no horse rescue or other type of rescue in the State of New Mexico would make the efforts and sacrifices that we have been willing to make to save donkeys and address their species-specific needs. Indeed, donkeys are not just a 'breed' of horse; they are a species in their own right, with their very own needs, instincts, and peculiarities. And while they can get the same diseases as horses do, they have numerous both physical and behavioral features that are decisively different from those of a horse. In addition, horses tend to attract a largely - though not entirely - different audience of admirers than donkeys do. Horses in the United States are typically used as performance animals, if not commercially then at least for recreative activities such as trail riding, dressage, pleasure driving, hunter-jumper events or rodeos. Mules, and even more so donkeys, are still not as popular as horses are for such types of recreational activities, and there are also considerably fewer donkey and mule trainers that would be able to prepare such animals for the kinds of task people generally expect of the horses that they adopt from horse rescues.
Thus many donkeys end up as pets. And with their generally calmer temperament and more personable way of interacting with people, they do make much better pets than horses, provided that they receive proper ground training and have learned to trust their handlers. But the people who look for donkeys as pets are usually, though not always, not the ones looking for riding or driving prospects at horse rescues. They will instead seek to locate a donkey rescue. The past few decades have seen a rise in interest in donkeys as pets, and accordingly, donkey rescues have opened up in many other states, the largest being Peaceful Valley Donkey Rescue, which has its main facility in Texas and satellite adoption centers in at least 23 other states, in addition to sanctuaries for wild burros. Another large and well-established donkey rescue is Longhopes Donkey Shelter in Bennett, Colorado, which also features many outreach programs and services for donkey owners.
While many donkeys end up - and are appreciated - as pets, there are also recreational activities that are specific to donkeys, and some to both donkeys and mules, while not being accessible or common for horses. The most prominent of these is pack burro racing, a sport that developed in Colorado in memory of the gold miners who would travel the mountains with their pack burros in the 19th century looking to make a fortune. Only donkeys and their handlers can participate in this sport. Other recreational activities for donkey or mule owners that are sometimes offered in classes at state fairs are coon jumping, agility courses, as well as donkey and mule specific halter, riding, and driving classes. We as a rescue do not offer specialized training for such activities, but we have picked and adopted out suitable animals to adopters with experience in such training or access to experienced trainers. Some of our donkeys have been shown at fairs or participated in various competitive or non-competitive events such as pack burro races, parades, donkey shows or fiestas.
As for the idea that donkeys are "less useful" than horses, it is one of the basic elements in our philosophy that animals do not need to be 'useful' to deserve a dignified, species-appropriate life. We fell in love with the donkey mentality many years ago not because they were useful to us but because we loved interacting with as well as observing and learning about them. We found them fascinating. It is our hope that we as an organization can spread this fascination with donkeys (and mules) to as many other people as we can so that we can make the world a better place for these animals.
People sometimes wonder why we have a rescue organization specifically for donkeys and mules, if there are also horse rescues that take in a few donkeys or mules here and there. Others wonder why we aren't a horse rescue in the first place like all the other equine rescues in the State of New Mexico. After all, there is more money in horses, and horses are traditionally regarded as more 'useful' equines than donkeys.
The founders of The Longears Safehouse first fell in love with donkeys in 2009 after taking a stroll around their neighborhood. They came across some loose Great Pyrenees that had escaped from a small farm property nearby, and when taking a closer look they spotted a small group of alpacas and donkeys confined in various pens there. They subsequently befriended the elderly couple that owned the farm and for a while helped them care for their donkeys a few times a week.
The next year, they learned about a small donkey rescue in their town called "Lucky 13". They went to volunteer for the rescue and wound up adopting a total of 4 donkey geldings from them. Sadly, that rescue closed its doors in 2011, and that was when our founders were first called to action by others on Facebook to take in a group of donkeys in need that had been spotted at the sale barn in Los Lunas. That's how our mission started.
We are in existence as an organization because no horse rescue or other type of rescue in the State of New Mexico would make the efforts and sacrifices that we have been willing to make to save donkeys and address their species-specific needs. Indeed, donkeys are not just a 'breed' of horse; they are a species in their own right, with their very own needs, instincts, and peculiarities. And while they can get the same diseases as horses do, they have numerous both physical and behavioral features that are decisively different from those of a horse. In addition, horses tend to attract a largely - though not entirely - different audience of admirers than donkeys do. Horses in the United States are typically used as performance animals, if not commercially then at least for recreative activities such as trail riding, dressage, pleasure driving, hunter-jumper events or rodeos. Mules, and even more so donkeys, are still not as popular as horses are for such types of recreational activities, and there are also considerably fewer donkey and mule trainers that would be able to prepare such animals for the kinds of task people generally expect of the horses that they adopt from horse rescues.
Thus many donkeys end up as pets. And with their generally calmer temperament and more personable way of interacting with people, they do make much better pets than horses, provided that they receive proper ground training and have learned to trust their handlers. But the people who look for donkeys as pets are usually, though not always, not the ones looking for riding or driving prospects at horse rescues. They will instead seek to locate a donkey rescue. The past few decades have seen a rise in interest in donkeys as pets, and accordingly, donkey rescues have opened up in many other states, the largest being Peaceful Valley Donkey Rescue, which has its main facility in Texas and satellite adoption centers in at least 23 other states, in addition to sanctuaries for wild burros. Another large and well-established donkey rescue is Longhopes Donkey Shelter in Bennett, Colorado, which also features many outreach programs and services for donkey owners.
While many donkeys end up - and are appreciated - as pets, there are also recreational activities that are specific to donkeys, and some to both donkeys and mules, while not being accessible or common for horses. The most prominent of these is pack burro racing, a sport that developed in Colorado in memory of the gold miners who would travel the mountains with their pack burros in the 19th century looking to make a fortune. Only donkeys and their handlers can participate in this sport. Other recreational activities for donkey or mule owners that are sometimes offered in classes at state fairs are coon jumping, agility courses, as well as donkey and mule specific halter, riding, and driving classes. We as a rescue do not offer specialized training for such activities, but we have picked and adopted out suitable animals to adopters with experience in such training or access to experienced trainers. Some of our donkeys have been shown at fairs or participated in various competitive or non-competitive events such as pack burro races, parades, donkey shows or fiestas.
As for the idea that donkeys are "less useful" than horses, it is one of the basic elements in our philosophy that animals do not need to be 'useful' to deserve a dignified, species-appropriate life. We fell in love with the donkey mentality many years ago not because they were useful to us but because we loved interacting with as well as observing and learning about them. We found them fascinating. It is our hope that we as an organization can spread this fascination with donkeys (and mules) to as many other people as we can so that we can make the world a better place for these animals.