Community Comes Together to Offer Warmth to Adorable Donkey in Need
Peace for Ponies in East Wareham, MA has saved the lives of hundreds of baby animals as they dedicate their time and effort to giving ponies, mini-horses, and other animals a second chance at life. Recently, a baby donkey in terrible condition found her way to this little oasis, and thanks to the help of the community, she got a fresh new outfit and a new outlook on life.
“The donkey has not been named just yet,” explained Kendra Bond, owner and operator of Peace for Ponies. “We like to host a name game online to help pay for her care.” So while this female donkey waits on her official name, Bond and her team are busy caring for her after a rough start in life.
“She was taken out of a kill pen, or bad auction, by a farmer in Maine. He has a soft spot for donkeys and actually carried her out and brought her home,” Bond said. “She had been eaten up by flies from head to toe.”
A veterinarian had told the farmer to let her roam outside, eat the green grass, and she will get better. When she didn’t, the farmer contacted Bond.
“She wasn’t gaining weight, so we got her to the farm, and you can see there is nothing to her,” explained Bond. “You put your hand on her, and there is nothing there. She is covered in scabs, a lot of them are on her spine, and her skin was starting to rot. It was awful.”
Bond put out a call for blankets and earmuffs and got something so much more thoughtful in return.
“A woman named a Heidi Pierce, she’s a quilter, made underwear fleece,” Bond said. Pierce went to the farm, took the donkey’s measurements, and made her very first animal fleece, equipped with Velcro and adjustments.
“Marcia Taylor made the ears,” Bond said. With ears like those, customary earmuffs are mandatory.
“She’s so warm and cozy now, she’s starting to come alive,” Bond said. “She is starting to look around (the farm), she kicks up a little, and loves to get loose.”
Hair on her legs is beginning to grow back, a sign that the heartfelt work of Peace for Ponies is working. Thanks to a little help from Bond’s friends, this little donkey learns what love is and that there are good people in the world.
Keep an eye on the Peace for Ponies Facebook Page for the name game dedicated to this little survivor.