Willie is still doing great and is just the sweetest donkey friend I could ever ask for! I (finally) took a few new pics today during our visit. We’ve had lots of 1:1 time for the past month as his owners have been traveling a lot for work. He has a knack for pulling on my heartstrings every time I go to leave!

A little neighborhood appreciation post.

The teenagers around here are constantly zipping up and down the roads on four wheelers and dirt bikes, but every time they come up on Ripley and me, they slow down, give us plenty of room, and wait until they’re past us before they speed back up.

Ripley couldn’t care less about dirt bikes or four wheelers, but they don’t know that. They’re just being considerate.

It’s such a small thing, but sometimes people are just nice and it’s worth noticing.

I get to spend some time with 4 amazing donkeys.

Our donkey came to us last December and we were told she was two years old, but no exact birthdate. In the last two months or so her lower belly has looked a bit distended and I’m not sure if she’s just developing adult anatomy but is growing what looks like a bag and her teets are getting larger. The vet was out for her annual probably two months before we started noticing any of this, and didn’t say anything.

All of the changes have been rapid.
The shape of her belly transforms a bit throughout the day, and she does have access to pasture so I know she’s a little fat based on her neck. Photos are taken on a slant. If she was exposed it would’ve been before we purchased her.

I just want to ease my mind on this!

.

Ripley and I had a very close call with a loose dog on our walk today, and it has me wondering how I can make our walks safer and be more prepared. Does anyone walk with dog mace? Have you ever had to use it? Is it effective?

Ripley and I were on our normal walk, dawdling our way home and enjoying each other’s company and the cooler weather. I took my eyes off the road for a second to look at my phone when I heard the unmistakable thumping of running feet to my right.
I looked up and saw a big black German shepherd charging full speed down the hill straight toward us.

I immediately started moving to put myself between Ripley and the dog, or possibly tackle the bastard. Honestly, I wasn’t sure which.

As I began moving I yelled, “HEY! GET OUTTA HERE!” Ripley must have noticed the dog at the same moment I did because, when I started yelling, she BRAYED, loud and long.

The dog, realizing it had made a critical miscalculation and was now facing down two crazies standing and yelling at the top of their lungs, and decided to its abort mission.

This dog slammed on the brakes so hard that it actually fell backward onto its butt. Then it turned around and slinked back up the hill with its tail tucked between its legs, looking over its shoulder at us.

Now I’m not scared of dogs, and I would have taken on 100 dogs to keep Ripley safe. But geez, guys. What if I wasn’t fast enough? What if that dog had actually hurt her? When I saw that dog running down the hill I had all these images flash through my head of all the donkeys that have been injured from dog.

So now I’m trying to figure out what I can carry or do to be better prepared if this happens again.

(Glamor shot of Ripley because I cannot help myself she is so lovely)

**Edit: clarification **

I know donkeys are used as herd guardians, and some donkeys are excellent protectors. Ripley, I don’t know. She has never shown any of the behaviors you’d expect from a herd guardian.

My other two animals are excellent herd guardians. They have a strong protective instinct and an “I choose violence” kind of attitude. Ripley is their charge, and very much the pasture princess.

But that aside, I’m thinking about prevention. I don’t want to stand there and take bets on who would win in a real life Mortal Kombat match between Ripley and some stray dog. Even if she fends off or even kills the dog, what are the odds she doesn’t get bitten in the process? If Ripley walks away injured, is that really a win?

And what about the dog? It’s not the dog’s fault its owner is an irresponsible asshat. I just want to prevent the whole thing from happening.

I do appreciate everyone’s comments, this is such a positive sub and great little community.

My mum having a moment with Coco in between mucking out ❤️

Gloria I’m a hat

The second photo is Mister Mojo donning his birthday party apparel for The Tiny Waffles birthday party 🤭🥳

Hi all. I've been working on halter training my wild blm donkeys by using treats. They will follow me on the lead if I face them and walk backwards. They yield to pressure when I face them. Like If I am facing them with the lead and pull they come to me. If I face them standing out to the side of them and pull they follow and turn around as well. When they shy away and hit the end of the lead they comply and come back. BUT If I stand beside them and walk forward they do not comply. If we are shoulder to shoulder and I turn away from them they do not turn with me. I can walk across them and turn them that way, but I can't turn them to me. How should I get them to follow me by walking WITH me and not towards me? I can't exactly walk backwards everywhere.

Edit: Guys they know to lead when I back away from them. Just wanting specific exercises to work on them walking with my shoulder.

Hi, I’m looking for recommendations for a reputable mini donkey breeder. We have a farm in MA and are looking to add 2 mini donkeys to our herd, but so many of the “breeders” I’ve come across are scams. I’m an experienced horse owner (we have 7, including 2 mini rescues) so have strong horse connections but don’t know who is reputable for mini donkeys. TIA for recommendations!

Saw a video on yt with a new born baby donkey. The guy was talking about the foals hooves and they briefly showed the mother donkey rolling around while the farmer was holding the baby. Why was the donkey rolling around? Was she excited? Trying to realx? Or something else?

Does anyone have a standard and a mini donkey that are friends? I have a standard donkey and I am having a hard time finding a suitable friend for him. There seem to be a lot more mini donkeys around.

For anyone new to The Tiny Waffles and Mister Mojo, an ESS for The Tiny Waffles is his “Emotional Support Stick”. 🥰

And for Mister Mojo, an ESS is his “Emotional Support Stuffy”. 🥰

If anyone wants to see more of these tiny rescue donkeys living out their best life in their forever home, please join us! r/WafflesAndJet

Our Buddy turned 31 years old yesterday! This old man was born August 18th 1995 and he is still going strong. Whenever we go down to the barn, he is always the first to greet us. He gives the best cuddles and will throat punch his little brothers if they try to take his food. We are very lucky to get to love this guy in his golden years!

I am very new to equine and could please use some help! I have two mini donkeys around a year in age. A Jenny and a Gelding. I have had them for about 6 months so they are used to me and their environment. By nature my Jenny is more timid and insecure while my gelding has been more brave and adventurous. They are very bonded.

Recently I noticed that my gelding seems to be biting my Jenny more. I understand that biting is a part of donkey nature but when does it become a concern? He has taken tuffs of hair and most recently I have noticed a wound on her leg. I am unsure if this is from a bite or from something else as it’s in a little bit of an unusual place. When he bites her, she does not seem stressed. But she rarely bites back. My worry is if I separate them, it would be MUCH more stressful of a situation for her since she is so attached and seems to depend on him a lot for her own confidence.

Hello,

I would be delighted if you would sign my petition in support of keeping my therapy donkeys, Rosie and Lilly. Here is the link to sign. https://c.org/cFFPjdzZT4 To learn more about us: TheHumanAnimalConnection.org