I am so pleased to have the opportunity via the Forum to share our experiences of fostering donkeys from the Sanctuary. I do hope other foster owners or prospective owners will take advantage of this site to swop stories, compare experiences or merely just to chat.

This is how it all started ....

As all like minded people will agree there is something about donkeys, I just love everything about them - the way they look - the way they feel - the way they smell (sweet and comforting) their stoic natures and the look in those large soulful eyes that never quite convey exactly what they are thinking!.

I was talking to a colleague at work one day who told me about the Foster Scheme at the Sanctuary and suggested we go down for a look round. We had recently acquired a piece of land next to our home and kept a few sheep so this seemed like a good idea. Of course, as I told my husband we were only going 'for a look' and no decisions would be made. Famous last words, we were probably hooked within the first 'Hee Haw' and home we came with the Fostering Form which I completed and sent back immediately.

We were soon contacted by our area welfare officer who came and told us what we would need to do in the way of preparation before we could go on the waiting list. At this point I should stress that there is alot more to owning donkeys than you may think. In our case we had to start from scratch as we had no shelter in the field and therefore needed a shelter or stable. This not only meant obtaining planning permission which took nearly a year but then getting the stable built etc. In addition to this we also had to complete the statutory courses for new owners at the sanctuary. In all it probably took about two years for everything to get sorted, so as you can imagine by the time we got the call to say that two suitable donkeys had been found for us the excitement was almost too much to bear!

Enter the 'Little Angels'....

On a wet miserable day in May 2008 a very large Donkey Sanctuary lorry arrived outside our house, the tail gate went down and out walked two of the most beautiful donkeys I have ever seen - turned out in 'show condition' they walked down the ramp totally at ease and seemingly unaware that their arrival (which caused me to burst into tears) marked the beginning of a new life for both them and us.

To be continued.......