Super Donkey Bros!

From Regular Show :)

Upcoming Donkey sighting!

Great show…and yes, it is pooping!

Donkeys kill more people annually than plane crashes!

http://twitter.com/OMGFactsAnimals/statuses/25558812269

A Passion for Donkeys

A Passion for Donkeys, originally uploaded by csullens.

As seen on Jimmy Kimmel

A Passion for Donkeys, originally uploaded by csullens.

The ultimate book for all donkey lovers

One Ear?

A one eared donkey, spotted in front of Cocina Del Sol in Frenchtown, New Jersey.

Guilermo in Burromance!

Palin votes for donkeys

The media has been abuzz over the last few days with Vice Presidential Nominee, Sarah Palin's wearing of a scarf emblazoned with donkeys at a campaign stop in Reno, Nevada. While most assume that the fashion f-up was a "vote Democrat" scarf, we at the Donkey Blog suggest that Palin is actually a supporter of the Donkey species. We urge you to forget the Democrats and Republicans when you go to the polls this November. Vote for donkeys!! photo courtesy of the Belfast Telegraph.

Passing the Torch / Saying Goodbye

Well, it seems no matter how hard you try, your past will inevitably catch up with you. The words I leave you with now will most assuredly be my last for quite some time, as I have a one way ticket to ADX Florence. As I turn over ownership of the Donkey Blog to Chris and Adam, my only hopes are that they continue to visit Leonard, Larry, and Laura, and keep the blog alive so the whole world can share in their joy. They have done a fantastic job of keeping the updates coming, and they will be my only insight to their lives while I'm away. L^3 have been a true inspiration to me, and I can only hope they're still chillin in Lawrenceville when I return to civilization. And now I must be going, as the knock on the door is sure to be my ride...

Donkeys In The News

Donkeys all over the world are garnering a little extra respect from their human counterparts this week. In Shelbyville, TN, the 17th Annual Great Celebration Mule & Donkey Show will take place on July 10-12th. The Murfreeboro Post has the story...

Celebration Mule, Donkey show starts Thursday
Monday, July 7, 2008 10:08 am

The 17th annual Great Celebration Mule and Donkey Show is on its way, and everyone in the community and the mule and donkey industry are poised for a great time with good friends, good food, and their favorite animals.

The 2008 event will take place July 10-12 at the Historic Celebration Grounds in Shelbyville.

Every year the show brings competitors from all over the country to Shelbyville to show their mules and donkeys. While the show consistently boasts quality entries, the competitive nature of the event is a friendly one.

Continue Reading...

Tickets for the Great Celebration Mule and Donkey Show are, per day: adults $6; children ages 7-12 $3; and children six and under are free. Three-day passes are available for $15. For more information contact The Celebration office at (931) 684-5915. For more information, go to: http://www.twhnc.com/.


From half way around the world comes our next story. Lalit Raizada, a journalist based in India tells his story of how his opinions of donkeys has changed after spending some time with the wonderful animals. GulfNews.com has this story...

Donkey is poor, but not stupid
By Lalit Raizada, July 08, 2008, 00:09

Almost everywhere around the globe, the donkey is looked down upon. For ages, the animal has been a subject of ridicule and contempt and is made fun of.

If one has to berate a person, he is put on par with an ass. And the person would understand what star-rating you are giving him and why.

I was always curious to know why this poor creature has earned the kind of reputation it has. Even though coming from the horse family, it remains a poor cousin of the stallion.

One day while strolling by the riverside, I came across a small herd of donkeys leisurely grazing in the area. I sat down on a rock face to face with one of them and observed it closely. Aha, what a beautiful (and dutiful) creature it was!

I bet that if you had sat with me, you would also have noticed that the poor creature has a very innocent, albeit heavy, face with innocent looks in the truest sense of the word. There are no traces of mischief like that of a monkey. The gaping nostrils over thick black but spongy muzzle do not grimace at anybody.

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Revolution!

An eight-year-old Mediterranean miniature donkey, named Mason, escaped from human custody at the Aberdeen park in the UK on Friday night. Vandals forced open the pen that contained Mason and his friends, allowing the escape. After Genevieve's escape last month, this reporter can only assume that a worldwide Donkey Revolution is beginning. Some day soon, all of the donkeys may rise up and take their place as leaders of our world. All you need to ask yourself is: Whose side will you be on?

The Press and Journal has Mason's story....

Runaway donkey set free from pen in pets’ corner
By Stephen Christie, Published: 24/06/2008

AN INTREPID donkey less than 3ft tall made a break for freedom after its pen in an Aberdeen park was targeted by vandals.

Mason, a Mediterranean miniature donkey, was later found wandering down a busy city street after taxi drivers alerted the police.

The eight-year-old, which has been a resident at Hazlehead Park’s pets corner for six-and-a-half years, escaped after vandals forced open the gate to its pen.

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Spotted!

A tribute to Lawrenceville Leonard was spotted in Lavallette, NJ this week. This is clearly evidence that fans of LL and the Donkey Blog are popping up nationwide.

Donkeys In The News: South Africa Edition

Cleopatra, a talented donkey in South Africa has made headlines today for responding to phrases and pounding her hoof to answer math problems. When approached for a comment, Lawrenceville Leonard said nothing, but did not appear to be impressed. The Times has this story...

Donkey’s tricks prove she’s a smart ass
by Taschica Pillay, Published:Jun 22, 2008

Cleopatra is one clever girl.

The donkey, at Dayspring Farmyard in Zululand, is wowing visitors with her ability to do arithmetic, shake hooves, nod and play dead — skills she was taught by Sally Dilton-Hill, a retired teacher from Zimbabwe.

This week, Cleo proved her counting prowess when she correctly beat her hoof on the ground 11 times when asked “What is six plus three plus two?”

Her owners, former Zimbabweans Dave and Les Ervine, say Cleo leaves visitors speechless when she is able to count to 12 and answer simple arithmetic questions with her hoof.

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Also out of South Africa this week is a sad story with a happy ending. Coffee, a two year old donkey was rescued earlier this month by the SPCA from a sewage soak pit, where he had been for trapped for 40 hours. After weeks of treatment, medication and love, Coffee is now doing better. Lawrenceville Leonard did not comment, but seemed to snort happily when he was told the good news. IOL has this story...

Mission: donkey rescue
By Rivonia Naidu, June 20 2008 at 01:43PM

He's been affectionately named Coffee because of the area he was rescued from. He has big brown eyes that could make anybody fall in love with him. His favourite food is brown bread, and he's a donkey that has captured the hearts of many pet lovers.

"And to think he could have died if someone hadn't called us to rescue him," said Vicky Power from the Kloof and Highway Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA).

Speaking about Coffee's miraculous rescue and recovery process, Power said staff and volunteers from the SPCA were "thankful" to have been called out to the coffee farm area of Mariannhill on June 3 to help save the two-year-old donkey's life.

She said when they arrived on the scene, they were "saddened" to find Coffee stuck in a "very small soak pit", a hole where sewage slowly seeps into the ground through holes on the sides and bottom.

Power said according to residents Coffee had been trapped in the soak pit for about 40 hours before he was rescued.

Continue Reading...

Sad News For Donkeys Everywhere...

Genevieve, a beloved 40-year old donkey from East Sandwich, Massachusetts was killed by an automobile early yesterday morning. Sean Whelahan, 37, has not yet been charged with the murder. In an interview with the Cape Cod Times, Whelahan even refers to Geneviere as a "he" - clearly a sign of intoxication. The Donkey Blog encourages police to further investigate this murder, and ultimately charge Whelahan to the fullest extent of the law. Leonard did not comment, but seemed deeply saddened by the news. CapeCodTimes.com has the story...

Genevieve nibbles her last grass
By George Brennan
May 30, 2008

EAST SANDWICH — Genevieve had a penchant for wiggling her corral gate open and sauntering off for a late-night snack of grass.

Early yesterday morning, the feisty and beloved 40-year-old donkey at Wingscorton Farm wandered onto Route 6A, where she was struck and killed by a startled driver at 12:37 a.m.

Dick and Sheila Loring, owners of the farm, are saddened by the loss of their oldest pet. On a 7-acre farm that's home to a horse (Genevieve's corral pal), dozens of sheep, lambs and goats, as well as more than 100 chickens, Genevieve was a prized member of the family.

"She was a love," Dick Loring, 78, said yesterday, just hours after he was roused out of bed by police to collect her 350-pound body. "She had been here the longest."

Sean Whelahan, 37, the driver of the Toyota Camry that struck Genevieve, was on his way home from after closing his restaurant, Kian n' Rylee's Pub & Patio in Hyannis.

The accident happened on a dark stretch of road between the Barnstable town line and Scorton Creek. Genevieve was walking the center line when Whelahan's car slammed into the donkey, smashing a headlight, quarter panel, side mirror and driver's side window.

"If I didn't turn he would have flipped up and right through my windshield," Whelahan said. "... I swerved and then swerved back because of the brush. I didn't want to hit a tree. I was in a state of shock."

Glass from the shattered window hit his face, causing minor cuts. Fragments still littered the dashboard of the Camry parked in his Route 6A driveway.

Whelahan, the father of two young children, said he feels lucky to be alive.

"Kian had his first haircut yesterday and I was saying what a great day it was," he said of his 2-year-old son. "You just don't know how close it is, how fragile it is. I'm very, very fortunate."

Whelahan will not be cited, police said, and he's still working on getting an estimate of the damage to his car. "This is a first for most of the people I've talked to," he said.

Dick and Sheila Loring said it's not unusual for their animals to stray from their pens. A couple of years ago, they were called to a nearby motel when some pigs they were raising at the time entered a guest's room.

Yesterday, Police Chief Michael Miller recalled rounding up about a dozen sheep that had escaped while he was a sergeant 10 years ago.

Genevieve was the first to become a road casualty. She will be given a final resting spot on the farm, along with a llama and a couple of horses that have been buried there.

"Life and death is just such a part of farm life," Dick Loring said. "We lost her last night, but three new baby lambs were born this morning."

Yesterday, the farm was bustling with activity: Tiny lambs suckling on their mothers, a horse chomping a snack out of Sheila Loring's hand and three golden retrievers offering friendly wags to visitors.

Sydney, a 27-year-old horse that shared a corral with Genevieve, was acting strangely, Sheila Loring said. "I think he senses something," she said. "He's making a lot of noise today."

The Lorings re-established the farm in 1980 after it had been dormant for nearly 70 years. The farm, connected to the historic Wing family, dates back to 1750. Its proximity to Scorton Creek gives it the Wingscorton name, Loring said.

The Lorings also operate a bed-and-breakfast out of the main house and a carriage house on the property. They sell eggs to local convenience stores and folks who drop by to plop $3 into a tin can.

And the animals are a draw for young families, Loring said. Genevieve was a favorite.

"We'll miss her," Loring said.

Video and photos available at CapeCodTimes.com

Along the banks...

Along the banks of the Delaware River Canal in New Hope, PA, all are encouraged to yield to donkeys. Of course, this sign is posted under a bridge, over a narrow path where donkeys once were forced to pull heavy barges down the Canal, but all of that aside...

Respect.

Donkeys in the News...

As previously reported, a Donkey was jailed in Southern Mexico after biting and kicking two men. Lawrenceville Leonard still has no comment on the situation, but unnamed witnesses claim that he has looked more depressed in recent days. NPR.com has the resolution to this story...

Nasty Donkey Now Has Police Record
Morning Edition, May 22, 2008

A donkey has been released from a Mexican jail. Blacky the burro was charged with assault and battery after biting and kicking, two men near a ranch outside Chiapas. Blacky served three days. And his owner paid a fine to cover hospital bills and salary for the days the victims missed work. Police officer Sinar Gomez pointed out, "Around here, if someone commits a crime they are jailed — no matter who they are."

In the UK, government officials are concerned that fat kids may harm donkeys during beach donkey rides. An 8 stone limit (roughly 100lbs) has been put in place to ensure donkey safety. When approached for comment, Lawrenceville Leonard turned and walked away slowly. The Daily Star has this story...

DONKEY RIDES MAKE KIDS WEIGHT
May 2008

Council weight-watchers have been out for the first time making sure obese children do not take donkey rides.

Blackpool is the first resort in Britain to adopt an eight stone weight limit for people taking a ride across the sands and the new rule came in for the first time this weekend.

The town already has a Donkey Charter brought in 60 years ago to ensure the beach donkeys get meal breaks and days off.

The council worked with animal welfare charity The Donkey Sanctuary to introduce the rule. A Town Hall spokesman said: “It is cruel to donkeys to have to carry a child who is obese.”

Mark Ineson, who has spent 11 summers with his donkeys, said: “If something is not right it has to be dealt with.”