Longhopes Donkey Rescue

When I was young, I remember driving home down this rural road with a large pasture on the south side. The sole resident of this pasture was a grey donkey.

My mother always loved that donkey. I never knew why - she was (and still is) afraid of horses. She likes my miniature goats and has learned to love the ferret, but other than cats and dogs (which she adores to a fault), she's never really been all that passionate about any other type of animal.

Fast forward to the year 2000 (gee, that would have sounded better a couple of decades ago), my husband and I bought some land, added some horses (and goats, and ducks, and geese, and chickens, and a dog...) and I was interested in adopting a donkey. That's how I found Longhopes.

After speaking with Kathy on the phone I realized that we just wouldn't be able to take on a pair. Not enough land. Kathy, however, did send a lovely newsletter with the cutest photos of their resident donkeys. I knew that I had to show it to Mom.

Ever since that day, my Mother, even on very limited income, sends the shelter a new book of postage stamps and ten or twenty dollars when ever she can. Once I found Squidoo, I KNEW that I could do something right here to help out.

So, here I am. Peace to you all who read this!

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The Longhopes Donkey Shelter was incorporated January 2000 but began in 1998 when the founder, Kathy Dean, went looking for her own donkeys. She knew there were unwanted donkeys needing homes but she was unable to find them, because unwanted donkeys are routinely sold for slaughter at local sale barns. Wanting to offer an alternative, Kathy learned that rescuing donkeys was impossible without a facility where the donkeys could be rehabiltated and trained until a new owner was found.

In August 1999 Kathy and her husband Alan Miller bought 20 acres in Bennett. That month Kathy took in Rocky, a 42 year old donkey whose owner could no longer keep him. By January 2000 Kathy had 9 donkeys. That was when Kathy decided to formalize her passion and create a shelter in Colorado just for donkeys.
Over the last 7 years the Shelter had rescued almost 330 and found homes for over 290. The average census is 25-30 donkeys.

WE BELIEVE:

A healthy donkey needs the companionship of at least one other donkey.

Donkeys have an incomparable ability for rehabilitation and affection.

No donkey should be breed until all existing donkeys have homes. We must all be part of the solution to overpopulation of animals.

The lives we create create a lifetime responsibility.

A "No-kill" shelter must provide humane euthanasia for animals suffering incurable pain.

Specializing in companion donkeys for the Rocky Mountain Region
A 501(c)(3) tax exempt Colorado charity since 2000