Desperately seeking: a goat to be donkey’s best friend
THE owners of a donkey are seeking a new playmate for it after it was left bereft by the loss of its best friend – Billy the goat.
Harold the donkey has cut a forlorn figure since Christmas when its best mate, Billy, had to be put down because of old age. Dot Smith, a smallholder, was so concerned over Harold’s sad demeanour she started a search for a new friend for the down-in-the-dumps donkey.
“Harold looks at our chickens and at the sheep in our neighbour’s field next door and just seems a bit lost without his friend Billy,” Mrs Smith told The Telegraph.
“They loved to play together. They ran around the field together, ate together and slept next to each other. It was lovely,” she said. “They would never be more than three or four yards away from each other.”
Mrs Smith, 75, who lives near Lutterworth, in Leicestershire, with husband Carl, placed an advert in a nearby farm shop, which attracted widespread interest. But, so far, no offer of a goat.
Harold’s sad demeanour is typical behaviour, according to experts, because donkeys are naturally sociable animals. “Donkeys usually form very strong bonds with their companions and can become ill if separated from them. Therefore, it is important to make sure they always have their friends around them,” according to The Donkey Sanctuary, in Devon.
But Mrs Smith remains hopeful that a friend can be found for Harold.
“We would give a good home to [a goat] that someone doesn’t want any more,” she said. “He’s looking for someone to play with and run around a field with him. He’d be very happy.”
And if Harold’s new friend was a girl it would be ideal. “Boys tend to get a bit boisterous together and so we would prefer a female goat. She would be a bit calmer for Harold,” Mrs Smith explains.