The Donkey Sanctuary

Well, I got all the cards chosen and addressed...it is quite a job really.  Getting just the right card for everybody.  I can't just grab any old card and toss on the address and send it.  Nope.  Doesn't work for me.

Each person is so different... each is perhaps going through something in his or her life and the inside sentiment is pretty important to their frame of mind.   Well, that's how I feel about it anyway.... and, so there is lots of uhm-ing and ahhr-ing while I sort through my selection of cards.  

And, may I offer my tip on how not to feel sick to your stomach when it comes to licking the envelopes? ...   Don't do it !!  Get a moist paper towel and run it over the glue instead  ...forget using your tongue..... some of that stuff tastes horrible !!  ICK....   of course, some of it doesn't stick anything down anyway...so don't forget to have some tape handy.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

This is also my annual plea to anybody who happens by my blog.  Please, if you can afford some small amount....  would you consider a donation to one of my two favourite charities?  The Primrose Donkey Sanctuary in Toronto, Canada.  

Sheila takes in so many donkeys in need... along with all sorts of other poor, unwanted and neglected animals.  She only has a small area and it is totally staffed with volunteers..   All the money goes to feeding and caring for the animals.  The hay, the vets, the farriers... last year they even had to ship hay from the neighbouring province as there was none to be had where they were due to rotten weather that had decimated the usual crops.  It takes a lot of money to keep going, but they do their best regardless of the situation it seems.

I just like to help ever since I learned of her little group and the good works they are doing there.   On my side bar there is a photo of Sheila and two of the wonderful donkeys.  Click on it to go to her site if you want to find out more about her and the sanctuary.   Amazing animals they are.  

I remember to send my cheque each year because I do it with my Christmas cards ...so today.... some hay money is winging its way across the country to Sheila and her amazing team of volunteers.

Maybe you could send a card too.... and thank you so much if you do.

V. 

some of the photos Sheila has sent me over the years...   sometimes they find abused donkeys that are pregnant, and then, all of a sudden, they have two new mouths to feed. 

To see a short video of Sheila and lots of donkeys... click on the link below.  And, why I can't make the link wording change colour I haven't a clue !!  arrgghhh... but, click on it anyway, okay?

The Donkey Sanctuary.

Primrose Donkey Sanctuary

If you are a regular visitor to my blog, you know I support this little Sanctuary...and, that I love donkeys.

That is Sheila over there on the sidebar.

When it gets around to this time of year I know horse and donkey people are looking for some decent hay to feed their animals.  It's usually the time of year I send Sheila some $$$ to help out seeing as I can't be there in person to volunteer.  She is at the opposite end of the country.  Darn it.

You just never know who is out there and looking.. or where they live ... maybe they'll even be close enough to Primrose and Sheila to visit or volunteer some time.

They are hoping to eventually purchase some adjacent land to add to her small acreage... (and, you know how much that costs!!!)

She just doesn't have enough area anymore and, yet, they will never turn away an animal that needs a home.  They want to bale some of their own hay in order to make feeding the animals easier.

Please take a look at this little video ... and, if you can help ... I hope you will.

You can check out more videos from the Primrose Sanctuary on Youtube if you want to see more donkeys...

https://youtu.be/bGl-o3Z3LKs

Share a smile Friday

You know how much I love little donkeys.  You don't?  But....but, ...... they are all over my sidebar..and I'm always saying about them...and sometimes I even hit you up for a donation.... you must know...

Today let me show you an older photo ... mostly because I don't have a modern one that will produce too many smiles...but, this...hahahha...don'tcha love it when animals look right into the camera lens... even sniff or smooch it? .... they always look so cute from this angle.

This was taken a few years ago when we visited a donkey farm in B.C. ..near where my sister lives.... I forget exactly how many they had ...but, dozens of them rushed over to visit with us.  What fun!  We scratched and petted them to our heart's content... and they loved the attention.

Why don't you pop over to Annie's blog and scroll through a few Smile posts ....  it's actually quite a bit of fun.  Also, it's clever in that it makes for a pretty easy post knowing what you will be doing each Friday.  Especially today.... as I need to get on with making my mini Tortiere turnovers for tomorrow's party.  Thanks Annie..... I'm off to check out a few and then...roll some dough...

Celebrate "Christmas"....

Now I can.... all year round@!

This little guy was born on Christmas morning at the Primrose Donkey Sanctuary .... the sanctuary I like to support even though it is miles away at the other end of the country.  Sheila sent me his photo and I took a pic of the picture so you could see him too.

A tiny "Jack" as they call them.... and ....they named him Christmas.  Isn't he cute?  In his tiny coat.... awww....

I haven't been to the blog or the Facebook site yet ...but, she says they are on there as well... I'll check it out tomorrow... just want to get a pic and a blurb on here tonight before I head for bed....

You can see a photo of Sheila (and some of the donkeys) on my sidebar.  She only has a small acreage, but what a huge heart.  She rescues and saves donkeys (and other animals too) from abusive and neglectful situations ... she has even bought some from auctions...  she wants to save every animal that she hears about that is in trouble or needs help...but, who can do that? Dear Sheila...  she's giving it her all that's for sure.... she and a small army of wonderful volunteers.

When I got the photo and my little card... it made me feel like an "auntie" ....I wish I lived closer so I could go and see the new little guy..

My donkey sanctuary....

... has a new baby.

Well, of course, it is not actually 'my' sanctuary....but, I love to call it mine because I like to support Sheila and the Primrose Sanctuary (and its many inhabitants).  It is thousands of miles away in eastern Canada.... and we are way out west.... too damn far to offer volunteer help in person, or I'd be there, petting, feeding and cleaning. Instead, I do what I can from my end.

Sheila just sent me a photo of her new little guy Oliver, who is now two months old already! .... ...He who was sort of a surprise (but not really) because of Sally Ann's size...they had suspicions .. and hence part of the reason to rescue her from terrible conditions at an auction a little earlier....

Sancho Panza..... another resident.... fat and sassy now she says .... always a time for celebration to know one is doing well.

Check out Sheila's blog to see the other animals and to keep up to date on their rescues and how they try to cope with man's inhumanity to animals.... no, it isn't always pretty and as Sheila says...there is always good news and bad.... ....but, thanks to her... some of the suffering is minimized when she gets them to her place.
She has amazing friends, volunteers, vets and farriers who give so much of their time and energy to get the word out and to try to make a difference in the lives of abused and mistreated animals...not just donkeys either as you'll see..

I hope you will take some minutes to go to her blog and to Primrose Donkey Sanctuary page to see what it is all about.

I found Sheila and her small Sanctuary through another little donkey... Sheaffer...who has also become a friend and such a fun read..... he is such a terrific writer!  Of course, along with his fun posts, he also tells us how it really is.. as he likes to keep us apprised of the situation of donkeys in this real, often unfriendly, and sometimes downright ugly world....but, lots of his postings are so hilarious I just laugh out loud when I go there to have a read.  Mr. B.V. makes me read them out loud to him.. and we both crack up.  Been a bit quiet over there lately..but, hopefully more fun is on the way soon.  You can see a photo of Sheaffer on my sidebar.

He lets old Jack have a say on his blog too....as Jack used to live with him before going to the Sanctuary last fall... he needed a warmer place for the winter and loves it at Sheila's.  He has his own temperature controlled bubble if you please!  What an amazing thing for an older donkey... to keep from shivering and losing weight over a vicious winter.  And... as he says on his last chat to Sheaffer  ...i got a lot ta tell ya, i bin so busy i hardly had time fer mi three naps a day. they couldint run this outfit with out me actin as boss donkey an its a good thing i got forty four years of experiunce cos i need all of it mos days.

If you have decided not to waste hard earned dollars on overdoing at the festive season this year....or have decided not to continue with charities that use more than 45% of their donations for "administrative costs" as they put it (cuz we all know what that really means), may I encourage you, instead, to support a sanctuary near you?  Or, send a donation to Sheila at Primrose Sanctuary, in Canada.  Even small amounts go a long way to help with feeding, vet care and electricity ... especially if more of us take the initiative and time to send some.  Every penny sent to Sheila goes toward maintaining her little sanctuary and giving special loving care and even a forever home to older, abused or neglected donkeys as well as several other animals that have since been dumped at, or rescued by, the Sanctuary and its volunteers.  What a special bunch of people they must be.  How I wish I could meet them in person... but, it is more costly to fly to eastern Canada than it is to fly to Europe!  Plus.... it is more beneficial to send loot than it is for me to go there just to hang out.  Although, if they were closer...believe me...I'd be hanging out too.  They need all the help they can get.

okay that's it for me and my little soapbox today..... suffice to say...I love animals and hate that they can't speak for themselves. Even if I don't have any of my own...I work towards better care for them all.

If you want to see more posts regarding Primrose Donkey Sanctuary...check out that label on my sidebar and click on it.... I have done several....

Wordless Wednesday..

another fun thing....

it is a rotten, cold, rainy, dark and windy day here ..... middle of summer and a paltry +8C..... pagh.... a perfect day for a great summery photo of Miss PrimRose .... from the PrimRose Donkey Sanctuary.  Perks me up no end!

This was a capture by Gayle... who took plenty of snaps at Sheaffer's birthday and auction .. remember the auction? Otis and Sage flew there? .... well, .... over at 7 MSN ... another blog that has donkeys (among its other fun and funny animal inhabitants) ... and also a clever owner, who is, at the moment, giving lessons on how to "fix" photos... this was one of the chosen few and look what a wonderful job Linda has done with it!

See the original on the blog...it had people and other extraneous "stuff" in it.... things that detracted from sweet PrimRose herself....but, this!!  What a great shot of her now.  Head on over to the Ranch and check out all of the photography.  The photos are AMAZING>>>   And, if you are not.. repeat, "not" as lazy as me... you, too, can get some hints on how to fix your not- so- perfect photos....... I keep threatening to get Photoshop on here...but.... so far...... la la la....la la....... nope..................... I'm lazy, don't have enough time... have many excuses.... have too much to do in our extremely short summer...which seems to be getting shorter each year.  I try to do all the indoor stuff on rainy days and never see the inside of this house on a sunny one.....

Pretty in pink.....it's just the thing for such a dull day... it is soooo dark in here that I've got all the lights on just to see where I'm going....

Sheaffer's Annual Birthday Bash and Auction was held Saturday .... under beautiful sunny skies!  Check out the write up on his blog and also check out some of the pics.  I was a bit envious of the weather.... and of course, wish I could have been there just to pet donkeys.. oh, and....to eat carrot cake!!
But... it is many miles away ...opposite end of this country actually.... so... not feasible.

They made $4,000 by day's end, and were ecstatic! What a lot of effort and hard work was done by a lot of people to pull it off .... now Sheila can continue on with her efforts to rescue abandoned and abused donkeys...oh, and whatever other creatures have found their way to her small acreage over the years.  She has been heard to mutter that if a purple aardvark showed up it would have a home at her place!

Remember little Sage and Otis?  This was the event for which they were made and sent.  They worked hard for the cause too and managed to fetch $60 and $65 respectively.  I am thrilled they did well.  Thanks to all of you who sent me bids to accompany them on their trek to Ontario .... and.... I'm sorry you were all outbid .... ... but, by the same token, happy that they did so well.

Otis and Sage .....with Scruffy.... cousin of Tuffy who was in last year's auction.  Next year.... I should try for three bears.... oh..hahah....and maybe a Goldilocks...

This is a post from Sheaffer's blog.  He is the little donkey with whom I first became acquainted..and from there I found Sheila's Sanctuary. See photo on sidebar.  These are the reasons I support such a worthwhile project. It's the reason I made a couple of little bears to send for their silent auction this coming week.  It's so worth it to support somebody like Sheila who works so tirelessly on behalf of any animals in distress.  It makes me cry every time I read how cruel some people can be.   I wish I lived closer so I could go in person to visit and help out...but, Canada is a huge country and I am pretty much at the opposite end from her and her little menagerie....
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Sheaffer's recent post is this:


The woman and I are asked quite often how Sheila, who runs the PrimRose Donkey Sanctuary, keeps going day after day. She has seen every possible negative aspect of human nature at work in the guise of the neglected and abused donkeys who make their way to her farm. Still she smiles, never raises her voice and one by one, tries to help the sanctuary residents and educate humans on how to properly care for donkeys in general.

I know some of you have heard me speak of Tabi (Tabolinski), the mammoth donkey who luckily found himself in Sheila's care. He had worked tirelessly pulling logs from the forest, without benefit of footcare for ages. When he was sold, his new owner decided to "fix" his feet all in one go, and the bony structure inside dropped down to his soles, leaving him in agony. Sheila and her vet and farrier and the volunteers nursed him back to health and he was looking shiny and standing comfortably, soaking up the sun and finally leading a wonderful life. One day last week Sheila went out to prepare donkey breakfasts and Tabi had died in the night. She is devastated. We have no details as yet but I know there are many of us, human and donkey, who know how much Sheila's heart is aching right now. I hope she remembers that even though his life was short - he was only in his mid-teens - she gave a great soul the chance to know what loving care is all about. He will be greatly missed.

On a happier note, Theodore, the "dumpster donkey" is thriving in his new home. After having been nearly beaten to death with a shovel by a lunatic who tied him to a dumpster and left him there to die, Sheila was called and he was taken to the sanctuary. To say he had trust issues is a massive understatement. Sheila felt his nightmarish experiences would make him a liftetime resident. One day a teenage human and her mother went to visit the sanctuary. Theodore marched up to the girl and declared she was "the one".

He went to live at her home and from being virturally untouchable, he is now calmly having his feet done by the foot man, being brushed, haltered and led everywhere. Last winter, he and his group of horses came into the barn during a bad storm. Theodore and the humans realized at the same time that one horse was missing. Back out went Theodore, up a steep hill, in the blinding snow, where he moved in close to the horse and led him back down the hill with the horse's muzzle pressed into his furry back. His day wasn't done yet. The teenage human's father found a chicken out in the roadway in the same blizzard and brought it home, fearing it wouldn't last the night. The chicken was put into the warm barn. In the morning the chicken was found fully recovered, nestled on Theodore's warm back. Theodore does not take his new home for granted. He knows how truly terrible humans can be but has the judgement to recognize the good ones when he meets them. That farm is in good hooves with Theodore in charge.

Those are just two of the many reasons we want to make the "Big Day" a very big success. Thank you to all who are working so hard to help my donkey friends and thank you to Sheila for doing, day in and day out, what most of us cannot even imagine. She's a woman on a mission and I gladly lend my name to anything that will help her to keep PrimRose up and running.

..one small donkey's view of the world

I'd like you to meet my friend, Sheaffer. He's a very special little guy...not to mention very funny. I can't remember exactly how I found him...or his blog...but, I did. It was probably just that I got lucky in my "blog hopping" one day. Lucky because it is so funny to read some of his posts that I have tears running down my face.

Have you ever found a blog that just pulls you in and you have to go back to the very beginning to find out how it all began..?. that was Sheaffer's for me. I laughed my head off at some of the posts... and then read them to Mr. BumbleVee and we both cracked up. But, in my backwards scrolling and reading I also discovered that life is not easy for some little donkeys... some of it is pure hell because of miserable, stupid, humans. Honestly, some days I just hate people. No wonder I'm a happy hermit.

Anyway...not to make this a rant, but just to let you know that some folks have donkeys and don't treat them right... same as lots of people have cats and dogs and other pets and don't do right by them either....it happens every day all over the world.

Sheaffer and his woman have been instrumental in efforts on behalf of donkeys in their area... and in particular on behalf of donkeys rescued and now living at Primrose Donkey Sanctuary....

This weekend is Sheaffer's birthday and he is having a big party. With hats, treats, games like pin the butt on the humans..oh, just a minute, I think they decided against that one......and all sorts of fun happenings. If you live anywhere near Mount Albert, Ontario.... why not try to get to it? Pea... Sue... Dolores?... do you live near them? You're all invited. If I lived closer I would be there for sure...I'd love to scratch some mini donkey ears and hobnob with the horse and donkey lovers .... but, it costs as much for me to fly to Ontario as it would to fly to England if you can believe it! so, that's out...

I'll have to rely on the woman to take photos and post them on his blog ... but, I did send a little embassador in my stead.... because there is also a silent auction to raise money for the sanctuary and other donkeys. It was a way I could add some fun and perhaps a little help dollar wise for this special cause even from a distance. Sheaffer's woman found a little "Fauxbearge Egg" as she calls it, for Tuffy to sit in...like a little throne.... hahahha.... too funny. If the auction is an annual event...then next year I will be aware of the timing and have several items ready to go.

Sheaffer has plenty of buddies and "inmates" at his site..... cats, a dog, other equines... all blog fodder for Sheaffer's wit ..... especially his poor woman .... hilarious ...

Perhaps some day you'll have a few extra bucks burning a hole in your wallet ... especially Canadians and Ontarians.. (even Canadian Tire dollars are useful) ... here's a way to help .... and it's not just donkeys either ... the sanctuary has cats, dogs, and pot-bellied pigs too... Sheila does her best for any animal in distress.










Tuffy in his "Fauxbearge" egg.... Sheaffer says he looks like a small, benevolent despot.... oh, I sure hope somebody gets the bidding going and he is able to make some money for Sheila at the sanctuary..... he's only 2 and half inches tall, but he does have a pretty big personality.....