Black Beauty

Our family’s gentle donkey shared a special bond with neighbors and young grandkids.

iving on a farm, we feel like many of our dear animals are part of the family. That was definitely the case with Black Beauty, or Blackie, as we affectionately referred to her. Although we also have two other donkeys, she was always extra precious to us.

Blackie passed away in January after being our beloved angel for 40 years. This mammoth donkey provided many rides to delighted children, and she gave birth to several little donkey jacks. Each time we hoped for another black jenny like her, but it never happened.

It was such a pleasure to see how gentle this donkey was with all of

Lthe grandkids, especially our youngest, Annie. They were true buddies. It gave me so much joy to watch Blackie rest her head on Annie’s shoulder while they visited in the field.

Christmastime was always so wonderful. Blackie loved to eat peppermint sticks, and all 11 of our grandkids fought over who got to give her the special holiday treat.

Another memory is when one of our granddaughters, Serenity, took two slices of bread, placed a small amount of hay between them, and then fed this sandwich to Blackie for lunch!

Whenever our son, Scott, went hunting on our property (I should say, when he attempted to hunt), Blackie would give him away with her braying if she was nearby.

She always had to make sure Scott acknowledged her presence. He couldn’t be mad at her because she was just claiming her share of his attention. Scott jokingly said Blackie was his deer repellent.

As if it wasn’t bad enough that she had our whole family wrapped around her little hoof, many of our neighbors fell in love with her, too. They often stopped by and gave her treats like apples and carrots—and a lot of petting.

Whenever I count my blessings, I always count this sweet beauty who shared her gentle ways at our country home and enriched our lives in so many ways.