KAI LOVES DOING THE DONKEY WORK

Havertz is a real animal lover who rescues donkeys and got a puppy to help settle in at Chelsea

KAI HAVERTZ used to rescue donkeys and once had a horse in his garden – but claims a man’s best friend has helped him settle in England.

Chelsea’s £71million Germany international is a big animal lover.

And the 21-year-old bought a golden retriever to help him and his girlfriend adapt to life in London, since his big-money move from Bayer Leverkusen.

But Havertz has revealed his family used to have a horse in their garden, when he was growing up, and how his love of animals all started with a donkey.

Havertz said: “When I was very young we had a lot of animals at home.

“We had a German Shepherd, a cat, rabbits, guinea pigs, and there was a time we had a horse in the garden.

“That’s how my love of animals started.

“At weekends, I used to go to a forest in Aachen with my family and the dog. We would all get on a horse and ride it for one hour in the forest.

“My sister rode horses a lot, so I would often go with her and watch her.

“When I was about nine, my parents gave me a cuddly donkey for my birthday.

“I loved this small animal so much that I told my parents someday I wanted to have a donkey or a farm with donkeys.

“Then for my 17th birthday, my parents gave me a partnership with rescue donkeys. For example, donkeys that had come from the circus or the zoo and had been badly treated.

“You would pay money every month and then the people would get food for them and look after them.

“They gave me the partnership for three donkeys, and I could visit them and spend time with them. One day, there was one donkey at the butcher who was eight or nine months old.

“And this guy, who had all the donkeys, said to me, ‘He’s at the butcher, can you help?’. I said, ‘Of course!’ It all started with this donkey.

“There are now four donkeys next to the house where my parents used to live. My parents, my sister and my grandmother are taking care of them.

“They are getting more and more in the next few years.”

Havertz endured a slow start to his Blues career, but now has five goals and seven assists for Chelsea this season.

And he reckons the decision he made with his girlfriend to buy a puppy has helped him settle in to his new home.

Havertz said: “We decided when we came here, we needed a garden and we needed a dog.

“It was clear for a while, but I used to live in a flat in Germany with no garden, and we didn’t have enough space

for a dog. After one or two months here, we searched for the right one. We visited some. We didn’t like the breeders who only want to make money off the dog.

“We found the right person, and now we have had him for six or seven months. His name is Baloo (with Havertz, above). We are very happy with him. He’s a golden retriever.

“I go to Wimbledon Common, Richmond

Park and Bushy Park with Baloo. There are lots of good walks around here, although it has been very muddy recently!”

‘My parents gave me a cuddly donkey for my birthday and I told them that one day I want to have a farm with donkeys’