Donkeys taught the ropes for life as pets
Sanctuary animals learn to adjust to outside world before being rehoused with lifelong guardians
DONKEYS are being taught to navigate traffic cones and learn about wheelie bins at the UK’S first “finishing school” for the animals in a bid to train them up as pets.
The course is designed to help the animals adjust to the outside world once they are rehoused.
The 12-week programme, run by the Donkey Sanctuary in Sidmouth, Devon, is believed to be the first of its kind in Britain.
The project, which started in November 2019, has a current intake of 31 animals, with eight having already been placed in permanent homes.
During their schooling, the donkeys are shown a variety of items such as tinsel, balloons and wheelie bins so they can familiarise themselves with unusual objects. Other training activities include walking under bunting, navigating traffic cones and getting used to people carrying umbrellas.
While inside their fields, the animals are deliberately walked close to the road, so that they become accustomed to the sound of traffic.
To make sure they are perfectly comfortable with check-ups, they are even given simulated visits from the vet and equine dentists.
Meanwhile, prospective guardians are able to attend tutorials on feeding, grooming and handling.
Kerry Layton-hill, 25, the sanctuary’s re-homing unit supervisor, said: “This is a new initiative for the sanctu- ary to ensure that donkeys are well prepared to move to a guardian home.
“It takes time for donkeys to make the transition from being part of a large resident group to living as a pair of donkeys with a family.
“The course helps with that change by working with them as a pair and introducing them to things they will encounter.”
Ms Layton-hill added that the sanctuary can tailor the training and types of familiarisation to the needs of individual homes.
“If they are going to a family with dogs, we can prepare them by introducing dogs in some of the sessions to ensure the donkeys we select for that home are dog-friendly,” she said.
“It is still early days but we believe the course is really beneficial to the donkeys.”
The centre was set up by Dr Elisa- beth Svendsen in 1969. The charity operates programmes worldwide, supporting donkeys and mules working in agriculture, industry and transportation.
Annie Brown, director of rescue and re-homing at the sanctuary, said: “Rehoming our healthy donkeys has always played a big part in ensuring all animals in our care are able to lead happy and healthy lives.
“When generous people with time, a stable and approximately one acre of land can rehouse two donkeys, this results in freeing up much-needed space for those donkeys with more challenging welfare needs to be cared for in the sanctuary. The work Kerry and the team are doing will help to ensure that our donkeys are well prepared to cope with their new adventures”.
In order to become a guardian and take on a pair of donkeys as pets, it is necessary to have approximately one acre of land with an area of hard standing to help protect the donkey’s feet, as well as access to shelter or a stable.
The sanctuary estimates that the annual cost of keeping a pair of donkeys is £2,000.
While taking on a couple – they get lonely without a partner – does mean having the time and commitment to handle them, the sanctuary encouraged people to take them on board as “they make amazing pets, they are very loyal” and they will “reward you with affection by the bucket load”.
‘If they are going to a family with dogs, we can prepare them by introducing dogs into some of the sessions’
‘It takes time for donkeys to make the transition from being part of a large group to living as a pair with a family’