Daily Freeman (Kingston, NY)

ULSTER PARK A ‘BRAY OF SUNSHINE’

Donkey park residents serve as therapy animals

- By Ariél Zangla azangla@freemanonl­ine.com @arielatfre­eman on Twitter

When people think of therapy animals, they may not necessaril­y picture a miniature donkey, but that’s exactly what they get with the Little Brays of Sunshine program through Donkey Park.

Steve Stiert said he got his first donkey about six years ago and his life has been immersed in the animals ever since.

He said he realized through research that the donkeys could be used as therapy animals and his herd offers that service in its own way.

The therapy the donkeys provide is not through a structured program, but is instead meant to provide people with a calming experience and to help them socialize and overcome fears, if they have them, Stiert said.

“It’s more of a petting and calming, de-stressing kind of thing. It’s really just the donkeys themselves are very calm animals.” — Steve Stiert

For senior citizens in nursing homes, for instance, the donkeys act as a catalyst to get them out of their rooms and socializin­g, he said.

“It’s more of a petting and calming, de-stressing kind of thing,” Stiert said. He said he and his group of volunteers bring the donkeys to various nursing homes, schools, and other facilities, or have groups come to the Donkey Park on Ulster Avenue.

During the visit, people get to interact directly with the donkeys.

“It’s really just the donkeys themselves are very calm animals,” Stiert said. “They’re affectiona­te. They’re friendly. They’re also at a nice size so that if

somebody is intimidate­d by a bigger animal, they have the opportunit­y to kind of overcome that because they’re not so afraid of the minis. And then that serves as a bridge to work with the bigger donkeys or ‘Stripes’.”

Stripes is a zonkey, a hybrid of a zebra and donkey, Stiert said. He said he also has a mule named Max, who is a hybrid of a pony and donkey.

The two hybrids join nine miniature donkeys and two standard donkeys at the Donkey Park.

In recent months, the donkeys have visited an elementary school in Kingston, as well as participat­ed in Dutchess County’s sixth annual Special Needs Picnic. They also visited the Valley Vista assisted living facility in Highland.

Brittany Schaab, activities director for Valley Vista, said the seniors there

look forward to the periodic visits from the donkeys.

“The residents love them,” Schaab said. She said Stiert and his volunteers bring four donkeys to the facility’s courtyard to visit with the residents. Schaab said the residents get to brush and pet the donkeys during the visits.

“I think it’s good for them,” Schaab added.

Stiert said the feedback he gets from nursing homes is that the residents continue to talk about the donkeys for days after their visit. And during visits with younger children, he will often hear of a child who does not usually speak who is talking about donkeys, or one who is usually afraid but is now hugging the animals, he said.

Those kinds of visits are seasonal due to being an outdoor activity, Stiert said. He said, though, he does have groups visit the Donkey Park a few times a week. Some come to help out and socialize with the donkeys, though the boys from the Children’s Home of Kingston have a more structured visit, he said. Stiert said the boys train the donkeys and then periodical­ly show them in competitio­n.

“They gain a real sense of accomplish­ment because they’ve actually worked for something and achieved it rather than it just being handed to them,” Stiert said. He said the boys compete with the donkeys in obstacle courses and standing high jumps, as well as in showmanshi­p.

Volunteer Jess Leonard said some of the donkeys are also being trained with the aid of a clicker device. She said the donkeys learn to perform a specific task and are rewarded. And some of the donkeys will pick up on the training just by watching one another work, Leonard said.

“They’re brilliant,” Leonard added.

Stiert said he also does educationa­l work with donkeys and offers assistance to other donkey owners. Members of his herd are also available for recreation­al hikes in the area through an online meet-up group, Stiert said.

“I think of Donkey Park as a sanctuary and a bit of a rescue,” Stiert said of the organizati­on he started. He said his last six animals were all rescues and he has helped other donkeys, including one with overgrown hooves who needed to learn to stand for its farrier while being trimmed.

The educationa­l aspect comes in the form of classes through agencies like Cornell Cooperativ­e Extension of Ulster County and the sharing of knowledge about donkeys, Stiert said. He said he wants to act as an ambassador for donkeys and show their value in a modern world.

Stiert said all his work is free and is his way to pay forward the gift of being able to have his donkeys. He said he also relies on his volunteers, who help not only at the Donkey Park, but on visits and with events, such as their recreation­al hikes.

“It’s about the community service,” Stiert said.

 ?? TANIA BARRICKLO—DAILY FREEMAN ?? Steve Stiert, with one of the donkeys of his Donkey Park in Ulster Park, N.Y.
TANIA BARRICKLO—DAILY FREEMAN Steve Stiert, with one of the donkeys of his Donkey Park in Ulster Park, N.Y.
 ?? TANIA BARRICKLO—DAILY FREEMAN ?? Amongst the herd at Donkey Park in Ulster Park, N.Y., is a zonkey named “Stripes”, a cross between a donkey and a zebra. In the rear, from left, are volunteers Barbara Shapiro of Shokan, Jess Leonard of Cold Spring, Ken Monahan of Rosendale and founder Steve Stiert.
TANIA BARRICKLO—DAILY FREEMAN Amongst the herd at Donkey Park in Ulster Park, N.Y., is a zonkey named “Stripes”, a cross between a donkey and a zebra. In the rear, from left, are volunteers Barbara Shapiro of Shokan, Jess Leonard of Cold Spring, Ken Monahan of Rosendale and founder Steve Stiert.
 ??  ?? Mules and donkeys eat side by side.
Mules and donkeys eat side by side.

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