Walker

Walker is a red roan Standard donkey, who we estimate to have been born in 2007. Walker lived on a cattle farm in Northern Ontario. Walker was free to roam the fields and forests of the farm alongside the cattle that roamed and foraged sometimes for several weeks at a time. An approach by neighbours led to Walker being relinquished to the DSC where he could receive more donkey-specific care and better food for his system. The name Walker was chosen to reflect the ‘walkabouts’ he did in the past. As with all newcomers, he was seen by the vet and farrier quickly, to assess his health and well-being. He will be gelded as we don’t breed donkeys at the DSC. He is a curious donkey and seems to want to interact with people, coming to the fence for a close-up look but without quite enough confidence yet for an ear scratch. We expect that will change soon

Hummer

Hummer is a black Standard mule who was born in 1996. He was admitted to The Donkey Sanctuary of Canada in late 2003.

Over the years, this large equine had lived in many places, under the care, time and again, of people who were determined to ride him. Hummer, on the other hand, had different inclinations. He was not interested at all in being ridden and he could become very uncooperative if asked to do so. In the process, he developed a wariness of humans that made him difficult to handle.

When Hummer arrived at the DSC Farm he was both cautious and anxious. From the beginning, the Sanctuary’s Animal Caretaker worked patiently with Hummer, using the concepts of Natural Horsemanship to calm him. This method emphasizes the principle that humans and animals interact and connect best when working positively together, which was effective and soon Hummer was ready to be moved into the area with his new mule companions.