Saving "Unwanted" Donkeys
Our mission is to rescue, shelter, rehabilitate and find permanent homes for donkeys that would otherwise be destroyed for meat consumption overseas. These animals are often shipped in horrific conditions to processors outside of the US - many die from thirst before they even reach the slaughter houses.
All affiliate revenue from this page goes directly to the shelter. The donkeys thank you for your support (and carrots).
Contents at a Glance
I Love Long-ears
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!
The History of Longhopes
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.
A Colorado Hero!
Longhopes Donkeys
The story of a woman who owns and operates the Long Hopes ranch, a refuge for abandoned donkeys. From Rocky Mountain PBS' "Real Coloradans" show. rmpbs.org
Runtime: 5:29
165 views
2 Comments:
"We've had a
POPULATION EXPLOSION
with new donkeys rescued from slaughter."
A Portion of Your Purchase of Amazon Items Goes Directly to Longhopes

Lil Abner Loves Squidoo!!
Philosophy
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.
Donkey Care
Books for owners
Feeding Time!
Feeding Frenzy at Longhopes Donkey Shelter
Donkey's mob us as we wheel out a cart of hay.
Runtime: 0:44
2716 views
2 Comments:

Does This Make Me Look Too Fat?
Lenses For Longhopes
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Donkeys
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I love Donkeys. The way their long ears point up, their sweet faces, the way they bray, and their gentle nature.
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Donkey And Mule Video Showcase
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Donkeys, Mules, Minis, and More. All waiting to entertain you! I've put together some of the cutest, funniest, and inpiring videos on YouTube here for you to enjoy. Sit back, relax, and let the donkeys amuse you!
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Adopt a Donkey --- Why?
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Why do I have a donkey lens, you ask? While surfing for some good nature webcams that I can share with my grandchildren I happened upon a 'donkey web cam' and quickly learned a few things about the donkey that I never knew before. So this...
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The Dressage Domain!
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I love dressage. It's so much more than just riding a horse around in circles... but sometimes it's hard to convince people of that! I've created this little haven away from the unbelievers, for myself and fellow dressage fans to indulge in! If you...
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Ass Whisperer Gear ~ Do you know Jack?
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Great stuff for your ass-loving friends! I'm so jealous. Why didn't I think of it? ASS WHISPERER GEAR This is a great, funny idea, and sure to be a smash hit. (All images property of asswhisperergear.com - used here with permission.)
Here's my favorite link:
What Exactly Is A Donkey?
The donkey or ass, Equus asinus, is a member of the Equidae or horse family, and an odd-toed ungulate. The words donkey and ass are applied to the domesticated E. asinus. The animal considered to be its wild ancestor is the African Wild Ass, also E. asinus.
Colloquially, the term "ass" is often used today to refer to a larger, horse-sized animal, and "donkey" to a smaller, pony-sized one. In the western United States, a small donkey is sometimes called a burro (from the Spanish word for the animal).
A male donkey or ass is called a jack, a female a jenny, and offspring less than one year old, a foal (male: colt, female filly).
While different species of the Equidae family can interbreed, offspring are almost always sterile. Nonetheless, horse/donkey hybrids are popular for their durability and vigor. A mule is the offspring of a jack (male donkey) and a mare (female horse). The much rarer successful mating of a male horse and a female donkey produces a hinny.
Asses were first domesticated around 3000 BCE Rossel S, Marshall F et al. "Domestication of the donkey: Timing, processes, and indicators." PNAS 105(10):3715-3720. March 11, 2008. Abstract, approximately the same time as the horse, and have spread around the world. They continue to fill important roles in many places today and domesticated species are increasing in numbers (although the African wild ass and another relative, the Onager, are endangered species). As "beasts of burden" and companions, asses and donkeys have worked together with humans for centuries.

So, Squidoo Paid for the Carrots, Huh? Cool.
Children's Books
Meet Stormy
Stormy the 2 week old donkey at Longhopes Donkey Shelter
Stormy doesn't quite get that he is a donkey and tries to climb onto my lap! He was born at the Longhopes Donkey Shelter in Bennett, Colorado in Spring 2005.
Runtime: 0:29
3286 views
4 Comments:
Books For Young Readers
Cat Lovers Need To See This!
A donkey and his cat buddy
Tucker the donkey and Gwen the cat share a moment at the Longhopes Donkey Shelter in Bennett, Colorado
Runtime: 0:29
5709 views
8 Comments:
How Else Can You Help?
An easy and free way to support the shelter.
Goodsearch is a downloadable search toolbar that utilizes Yahoo search functions. Each time you use your Goodsearch toolbar, a small donation is made to the charity of your choice. When you sign-up for Goodsearch, just select Longhopes Donkey Shelter (Bennett, CO) as your charity! It's that easy.
This Little Squid Smells Nice.
LENSMASTERS!!!!
YOU can support the shelter.
Longhopes is now a Squidoo sponsored non-profit!!!!! YAY!Switch over some of your lenses to donate (on the drop-down menu) and come join our group! All "Donkeyish" lenses will be featured on the group, with other topics featured on a rotating...
Squidoo Activists
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Squidoo Activists for Charity
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Squidoo Activists were developed with purpose of the Activists is a group that focuses on charity. Over the summer of 2008 the Activists hosted many different charity challenges and created resources to help others raise funds for charity. The Squid...
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All-Purpose, Handy-Dandy, Calorie-Free, Bake Sale
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No calories if you just look? We all love a good bake sale, so grab your glass of milk, sit back, and indulge in some virtual goodies (allergy-free too!). This page supports Longhopes Donkey Shelter and The Wild Animal Sanctuary - pretending to have...
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The Squidoo Activist Group Headquarters
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The Squidoo Activist Group is to highlight lenses made by Squidoo Activists. The Squidoo Activists are a group of Squidoo lensmasters whose focus is on charity. We are the Squidoo Champions for Charity leading the charge to turn the charity world upsi...
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Squidoo Activist's Bake Sale Headquarters
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Create a lens for our Virtual Bake Sale and donate the profits from your lens to the Squidoo Charity of your choice!
Gifts For Donkey Lovers
Well, It Takes All Kinds...
These Squidoo Pages All Donate A portion of Their Revenue to Longhopes!-
All-Purpose, Handy-Dandy, Calorie-Free, Bake Sale
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No calories if you just look? We all love a good bake sale, so grab your glass of milk, sit back, and indulge in some virtual goodies (allergy-free too!). This page supports Longhopes Donkey Shelter and The Wild Animal Sanctuary - pretending to have...
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Cutest Baby Costumes
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Have fun this year with the newest costumes for your little one. Whether you want your tot cuddly or scary, funny or wild, here are the very best costumes plucked from around the web for you to peruse. I'm looking around for the newest ones available...
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Wow Wow Wubbzy
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Meet Wubbzy, a loveable little ball of fun with a kooky tail and his best pals Widget and Walden as they play in their beloved town of Wuzzleburg! Children will giggle their way through Wubbzy's adventures and end up wanting to play kickety-kickball...

Can We Both Be SquidKids?
Fun Stuff!

Bailey - Spokesdonkey For Squidoo
Come Meet Bailey!
The Official Spokesdonkey and Liason for Squidoo
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Bailey the Donkey
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Longhopes works very hard to find the best possible home for all donkeys that come their way. Some elderly or special needs friends just require too much love, attention, and medical care to be adopted. For these guys, the rescue provides a permanent...
Visit The Shelter Online
50 S. Dutch Valley Road
Bennett, Colorado 80102
(303) 644-5930
OPEN BY APPOINTMENT
- Longhopes
- The Homepage of Longhopes

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

Donkey Hugs
Information and News on Donkey Welfare World Wide
- Worldwide Travel Blog
- Learn about the plight of donkeys used during the tourist season on Santorini.
- Dusty the Donkey
- A cute little Donkey's blog.
Donate to the Donkeys
Click the button to donate via Paypal
Magazine Subscriptions Through Amazon
Give Us A Bray!
Debs wrote...
What a fantastic lens...here's a donkey pic for you -
And a UK donkey link for you to check out... http://www.clovellydonkeys.co.uk/
Reggie_Marigold wrote...
A beautiful lens. A worthy cause. And no, you don't look fat with that big giant squid on your back. ;)
dkdaniel wrote...
I am so inspired by lenses who's creators care about animals enough to strive to rescue those in need, whether they be household pets, barnyard animals or critters in the wild. Thank you for such a heartwarming reminder to be kind to our animal friends. Love and Blessings, Daniel.
rms wrote...
You've done a magnificent job with this lens! My parents used to have a couple of donkeys.























































