Our Programs
We offer a variety of programs for donkey owners, potential adopters, and interested members of the public in general. These fall into the following four categories:
- Rescue and Rehab of Donkeys, Mules, and Hinnies
- Adoption, Sanctuary, and other Forms of Long-term Protection of our Animals
- Education and Outreach
- Summer High School Internships
I. Rescue and Rehab
Within the limits of our capacity, we rescue and rehabilitate donkeys and mules from New Mexico and sometimes from surrounding states. Rescue intakes are most often from owners or their relatives when the owner is no longer capable of taking care of their animals. We also take in donkeys or mules in collaboration with other rescues or with government agencies. And we have occasionally rescued animals in collaboration with good Samaritans who bailed out animals that were offered for sale on Craigslist or at the sale barn/at auction and at risk of ending up in bad situations.
In cases of owner surrender, we do appreciate a monetary and/or hay donation that will at least help us get started on the expenses that the new intake will incur for us. However, the donation is voluntary, and we have taken in numerous animals that did not come with any kind of donation. The amount of the requested voluntary donation is unspecified, but the more is donated the better owners can ensure that we are able to protect their donkeys in the long run. We may also ask for help with trailering the donkey to our farm. Please be aware that we are not always ready to take in new donkeys. We try to limit the number of rescue donkeys at our farm to 20.
Once rescued or taken into our rehab program, we provide rehab services that can be physical (nutritional and/or veterinary/medical) or behavioral/mental or both. Both aspects of rehabilitation (physical/mental) have fairly equal priority for us. With the help of our veterinarians and farriers we have successfully and safely rehabilitated donkeys with strangles, vastly overgrown hooves, white line disease, club feet, chronic summer sores, and pronounced bone spurs. We have also helped donkeys whose conditions were incurable, such as chronic laminitis with bone rotation, to get to a comfortable level of management. Sometimes, we help donkeys over the rainbow bridge as a last act of kindness.
Our rehabilitation and training program also includes the correction of behavioral issues as well as a certain amount of ground training for formerly feral and/or abused donkeys so as to make them either suitable for adoption to the right home or at least help them to a level of trust at which they can be relatively safely handled for farrier and veterinary care. It also includes resocializing donkeys who were forced to be alone for a long time, teaching abused donkeys to trust humans (either for the first time, or to return to a former level of trust after a longer period of negative experiences), to accept a halter, being walked on halter and lead, to stand tied, and to lift the feet for cleaning and trimming.
Our training methods are primarily based on the principle of positive reinforcement. Experience has shown us that rewarding desirable behaviors, for example with treats, is more effective than a pressure-and-release type of approach in all cases of formerly mishandled, abused or otherwise fearful donkeys. In some cases, when donkeys have acquired undesirable behaviors such as nipping or biting, a combined positive and negative reinforcement approach may be appropriate. At this time, we do not offer specialized training such as for packing, riding or driving. However, we may take out suitable donkeys on the trail and/or familiarize them with blankets or saddles.
Observing how a group of scared, emotionally numb, more or less wild donkeys starts developing their different personalities as they are gentled, learn to trust, and positively interact with their caretakers and other donkeys is one of the greatest wonders and rewards or us. So is helping neglected donkeys along with their ailments, curing them and seeing them thrive. While our work entails a lot of personal hardships and is not appreciated by everyone in the human world, for us it is one of the most meaningful activities imaginable.
II. Adoption, Sanctuary, and Other Forms of Long-term Protection
Once rescued and in the process of being rehabbed, our donkeys will be placed in either of two different programs: Adoption is for those donkeys that can be rehabilitated to the point where we can be reasonably certain that they will be easy to handle and properly manage as well as safe to be around at a new home that is not specialized in the management of physically impaired, untrained or semi-trained donkeys. We have placed donkeys for adoption mostly in New Mexico but also increasingly often in Colorado and in earlier years some at other sanctuaries in Arizona and Texas. When our donkeys are adopted, they leave us under a legally binding contract requiring adopters to return them if they are no longer wanted for any reason. When they return, they are retrained as needed and placed in a new adoption situation that suits their needs and personally or retired to our sanctuary/foster home program.
Donkeys with long-term physical behavioral issues that need special care and handling skills will either remain at our farm for sanctuary or go to special needs foster homes. The same goes for very old animals or animals with some physical impairments (like chronic laminitis or worn-down teeth) that need special care, unless we find a home with special skills that can provide the needed level of extra care. Occasionally, we may place a younger donkey in a foster situation to provide company to another donkey or mule. Thus, if you cannot or do not want to adopt donkeys from us you can still help us by sponsoring one of our sanctuary donkeys.
III. Education and Outreach
We try to make the world a better place for donkeys, mules, and hinnies not just by offering rescue, rehab, adoption, and sanctuary. We also try to help donkey and mule owners to successfully care for their animals so that these animals, too, will have a better life. We pursue this goal, first, by distributing educational material to the general public via our website and Facebook page. Second, we have an outreach program addressing requests for consultation, advice or assistance that come from the public. Sometimes our response to such requests will take us on extended trips within the State of New Mexico to provide on-site assistance and consultation in situations where an animal is difficult to handle or where there are other reasons why a veterinarian or farrier may not be available. At other times, we try to help by email or phone consultation. Third, we help owners find a companion or a new home for their lonely donkey without needing them to surrender the animal directly to us.
We love to talk about donkeys and welcome your questions about donkey-related matters. Just shoot us an email, either directly or through the contact link on this website. We aim to continue publishing new information about donkey care, donkey training, and donkey handling as we find the time. Keep checking back on this website as there will be more content regarding donkeys and their needs in the near future. And contact us if you need some guidance with a specific issue regarding your donkey(s)!
IV. Summer High School Internships
Coming soon!
- Rescue and Rehab of Donkeys, Mules, and Hinnies
- Adoption, Sanctuary, and other Forms of Long-term Protection of our Animals
- Education and Outreach
- Summer High School Internships
I. Rescue and Rehab
Within the limits of our capacity, we rescue and rehabilitate donkeys and mules from New Mexico and sometimes from surrounding states. Rescue intakes are most often from owners or their relatives when the owner is no longer capable of taking care of their animals. We also take in donkeys or mules in collaboration with other rescues or with government agencies. And we have occasionally rescued animals in collaboration with good Samaritans who bailed out animals that were offered for sale on Craigslist or at the sale barn/at auction and at risk of ending up in bad situations.
In cases of owner surrender, we do appreciate a monetary and/or hay donation that will at least help us get started on the expenses that the new intake will incur for us. However, the donation is voluntary, and we have taken in numerous animals that did not come with any kind of donation. The amount of the requested voluntary donation is unspecified, but the more is donated the better owners can ensure that we are able to protect their donkeys in the long run. We may also ask for help with trailering the donkey to our farm. Please be aware that we are not always ready to take in new donkeys. We try to limit the number of rescue donkeys at our farm to 20.
Once rescued or taken into our rehab program, we provide rehab services that can be physical (nutritional and/or veterinary/medical) or behavioral/mental or both. Both aspects of rehabilitation (physical/mental) have fairly equal priority for us. With the help of our veterinarians and farriers we have successfully and safely rehabilitated donkeys with strangles, vastly overgrown hooves, white line disease, club feet, chronic summer sores, and pronounced bone spurs. We have also helped donkeys whose conditions were incurable, such as chronic laminitis with bone rotation, to get to a comfortable level of management. Sometimes, we help donkeys over the rainbow bridge as a last act of kindness.
Our rehabilitation and training program also includes the correction of behavioral issues as well as a certain amount of ground training for formerly feral and/or abused donkeys so as to make them either suitable for adoption to the right home or at least help them to a level of trust at which they can be relatively safely handled for farrier and veterinary care. It also includes resocializing donkeys who were forced to be alone for a long time, teaching abused donkeys to trust humans (either for the first time, or to return to a former level of trust after a longer period of negative experiences), to accept a halter, being walked on halter and lead, to stand tied, and to lift the feet for cleaning and trimming.
Our training methods are primarily based on the principle of positive reinforcement. Experience has shown us that rewarding desirable behaviors, for example with treats, is more effective than a pressure-and-release type of approach in all cases of formerly mishandled, abused or otherwise fearful donkeys. In some cases, when donkeys have acquired undesirable behaviors such as nipping or biting, a combined positive and negative reinforcement approach may be appropriate. At this time, we do not offer specialized training such as for packing, riding or driving. However, we may take out suitable donkeys on the trail and/or familiarize them with blankets or saddles.
Observing how a group of scared, emotionally numb, more or less wild donkeys starts developing their different personalities as they are gentled, learn to trust, and positively interact with their caretakers and other donkeys is one of the greatest wonders and rewards or us. So is helping neglected donkeys along with their ailments, curing them and seeing them thrive. While our work entails a lot of personal hardships and is not appreciated by everyone in the human world, for us it is one of the most meaningful activities imaginable.
II. Adoption, Sanctuary, and Other Forms of Long-term Protection
Once rescued and in the process of being rehabbed, our donkeys will be placed in either of two different programs: Adoption is for those donkeys that can be rehabilitated to the point where we can be reasonably certain that they will be easy to handle and properly manage as well as safe to be around at a new home that is not specialized in the management of physically impaired, untrained or semi-trained donkeys. We have placed donkeys for adoption mostly in New Mexico but also increasingly often in Colorado and in earlier years some at other sanctuaries in Arizona and Texas. When our donkeys are adopted, they leave us under a legally binding contract requiring adopters to return them if they are no longer wanted for any reason. When they return, they are retrained as needed and placed in a new adoption situation that suits their needs and personally or retired to our sanctuary/foster home program.
Donkeys with long-term physical behavioral issues that need special care and handling skills will either remain at our farm for sanctuary or go to special needs foster homes. The same goes for very old animals or animals with some physical impairments (like chronic laminitis or worn-down teeth) that need special care, unless we find a home with special skills that can provide the needed level of extra care. Occasionally, we may place a younger donkey in a foster situation to provide company to another donkey or mule. Thus, if you cannot or do not want to adopt donkeys from us you can still help us by sponsoring one of our sanctuary donkeys.
III. Education and Outreach
We try to make the world a better place for donkeys, mules, and hinnies not just by offering rescue, rehab, adoption, and sanctuary. We also try to help donkey and mule owners to successfully care for their animals so that these animals, too, will have a better life. We pursue this goal, first, by distributing educational material to the general public via our website and Facebook page. Second, we have an outreach program addressing requests for consultation, advice or assistance that come from the public. Sometimes our response to such requests will take us on extended trips within the State of New Mexico to provide on-site assistance and consultation in situations where an animal is difficult to handle or where there are other reasons why a veterinarian or farrier may not be available. At other times, we try to help by email or phone consultation. Third, we help owners find a companion or a new home for their lonely donkey without needing them to surrender the animal directly to us.
We love to talk about donkeys and welcome your questions about donkey-related matters. Just shoot us an email, either directly or through the contact link on this website. We aim to continue publishing new information about donkey care, donkey training, and donkey handling as we find the time. Keep checking back on this website as there will be more content regarding donkeys and their needs in the near future. And contact us if you need some guidance with a specific issue regarding your donkey(s)!
IV. Summer High School Internships
Coming soon!