In Which José Joins the Sprague Farm

I don’t remember the exact date that my family became donkey people. But now we are.

It started with a donkey named Gerald. He joined the Sprague Farm - where my parents, my brother and his family now live - to be part of the process used to break cattle to lead. I don’t know how much experience you have with donkeys, dear reader - I personally had very little when I met Gerald - but donkeys typically don’t go anywhere they don’t want to go. So when cattle are tied to a donkey by a long lead rope, the cattle learn that wherever that rope pulls, that’s the direction they go. Tying a cow to a donkey usually results in the cow being broken to lead within a day or two, and the learning sticks.

So that’s why Gerald came to the farm. What we didn’t know at the time was that Gerald would become my niece’s very best friend.

That’s my niece on the first day of school several years ago. Some kids want photos with their siblings or their dogs. She wanted a picture with Gerald.

Gerald and my niece were bonded. When Gerald escaped from the pasture, no one else could lead him back in. When my niece came into the barnyard, he followed her wherever she led. She could get him into the trailer so he could visit the veterinarian or to get his hooves trimmed. He trotted across the pasture to the fence whenever she called. They were buddies. Like, seriously buddies. My niece has an incredible heart for and connection to animals, which first came to light when Gerald joined the farm.

The next summer, in June 2023, Gerald got a friend - Gwen. The goal was for them to eventually be more than friends (wink, wink) but that would have to wait as Gwen came to the farm already expecting. However, Gwen’s life before she joined the farm was probably not a good one as she was very standoffish. Eventually, my niece’s animal whispering skills started to win her over. Unfortunately, Gwen miscarried her baby that fall which meant her relationship with Gerald had to wait a bit to go to the “next level.”

[Didn’t think my first blog post would have so much to do with donkey sex. Huh. But my life is weird, so it shouldn’t be that unexpected.]

Gwen and Gerald eventually did share a pasture, and the veterinarian confirmed Gwen was expecting. The whole family eagerly awaited the arrival of what my friend Bonny nicknamed “The Bonkey” - a new baby donkey.

Unfortunately, The Bonkey’s arrival wouldn’t come without a loss. One winter morning, my brother discovered Gerald had died. The circumstances around his death are still pretty murky - was it an injury? The weather? Something internal? We don’t know. One of the worst parts of farm life is having animals you’ve loved and cared for just be suddenly gone and you don’t know why. It’s a tough lesson for my two nieces to learn, but as their dad says, “That’s the way it is going West…” Meaning that so much of what happens to us on our journey is outside our control, and we can only control our response. And help each other work through the losses, knowing that it all circles around eventually.

One way my family dealt with Gerald’s loss was by getting Rayna - another donkey to help in breaking cattle and keeping Gwen company. Though they couldn’t yet share a pasture, due to Gwen’s pregnancy and the risks of introducing another animal to her when she was pregnant, they seemed happy enough to be neighbors and calling to each other across the fence. And yes - donkey calls in real life sound exactly like you think they do. And they never fail to bring a smile to my face.

I was at a friend’s house last Saturday when my brother called. He switched the call to a FaceTime in order to show me that The Bonkey had arrived, and he was just as freakin’ adorable as we’d all hoped he would be. He makes a perfect selfie partner for my brother. :) And my niece has, of course, become his fiercest defender and friend. She’s named him Jose. I have no idea why, but it seems to fit. He is as soft and fluffy as he looks, and tolerated well my profuse scritches and assertions that he is a very, very good Bonkey Boy.

As evidenced by the photos above, we’re all pretty much obsessed with him. My last few visits to the farm have mainly centered on wanting to see Jose, and watching him run zoomies around the pasture and be afraid of the big cows who share his pasture. Thankfully, his mama is never far away so he can find his safe space again.

Whenever the world gets hard and heavy, in either massive or personal ways, I’ve found my way back to the farm to find my solid ground. Having Jose around reminds me that, while terrible things are happening, beautiful things are too. And those things are worth sharing with my little corner of the Internet. I hope he brings you some joy.