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Mammy & Buffy Are Saved! – Mammy’s Story​

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Mammy & Buffy Are Saved! - Mammy's Story

Mammy Mammoth is a 8-10 year old jenny with a common dark grey hair. 

Mammy came out of Texas with Buffy Buffalo. It’s unclear if they are biologically related, parent child. Buffy we believe is a mammoth standard donkey cross. With the height of a standard donkey she has the thicker boned features and heavier coat of a mammoth. They were both passed off as rideable/drivable tame mammoths. Nothing could have been further from the truth. They were brokered by a horse flipper for a kill buyer on their way to the sale to be sold for slaughter.

They were shipped across state lines and dropped to us frightened and severely ill with Strangles, a highly contagious equine sickness that is common when animals are kept in damp, crowded, unclean and stressful environments. Because broker attempted to self medicate them for transport it caused the strangles to progress to what is called Bastard Strangles and if not properly treated can be deadly or go dormant so the animal shows no signs but it still sheds the virus for others to catch. Many dollars later in vet bills we finally got them testing clear. They had also more than likely never seen a ferrier. Even with sedatives they wanted to kill the ferrier. Like most burros, they did eventually settle in and we have since been able to address their ferrier needs unmedicated.

Mammy’s feet were extremely overgrown and she traveled with a limp. We weren’t sure if it was because of the length of her hooves or other lameness issues. When severely overgrown you have to take them back to a normal length gradually. It took the second trim for the ferrier to find the root of her lameness. She had a rock enter thru her white line and with the damp conditions it made her hooves soft and allowed the rock to travel up and embed deep in causing an abscess. But, unfortunately she was still lame. On her next trimming another deeper huge abscess was found in the soul of the same foot!

Still very sore after the trim, it was hard to see her hobble around and we heavily weighed the fact that she may have to be humanely euthanized. We decided to give her a little longer since she was still eating and drinking. Then one day we noticed she was no longer limping!!

Mammy enjoys the company of the other burros and horses but is still not as accepting of human interaction. On good days she will join Buffy for scratches thru the fence, but one on one becomes stressful for her.

Mammy would love a virtual adopter of her own to help with her ongoing ferrier and other expenses.

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Mammy & Buffy Are Saved! – Buffy’s Story​

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Mammy & Buffy Are Saved! - Buffy's Story

Buffy the Buffalo is a 4-8 year old Jenny with a common dark grey hair. If you saw her in her winter coat you’d know why we thought she looked like a buffalo. 

Buffy came out of Texas with Mammy Mammoth. Its unclear if they are biologically related, parent child. Buffy we believe is a mammoth standard donkey cross. With the height of a standard donkey she has the thicker boned features and heavier coat of a mammoth. They were both passed off as rideable/drivable tame mammoths. Nothing could have been further from the truth. They were brokered by a horse flipper for a kill buyer on their way to the sale to be sold for slaughter.

They were shipped across state lines and dropped to us frightened and severely ill with Strangles, a highly contagious equine sickness that is common when animals are kept in damp, crowded, unclean and stressful environments. Because broker attempted to self medicate them for transport it caused the strangles to progress to what is called Bastard Strangles and if not properly treated can be deadly or go dormant so the animal shows no signs but it still sheds the virus for others to catch. Many dollars later in vet bills we finally got them testing clear. They had also more than likely never seen a ferrier. Even with sedatives they wanted to kill the ferrier. Like most burros, they did eventually settle in and we have since been able to address their ferrier needs unmedicated.

Not long after moving to the sanctuary in Goldfield, Jon thought that Buffy wasn’t seeing right. After further examination it was determined that she is fully blind in both eyes, the cause is unknown but it is clear she came that way.

I can’t even imagine how terrifying it was for her to go thru the shuffle of the horse trader world and then head to the slaughter line. Its illegal to ship to slaughter a blind equine, so I’m sure that’s why we were pressured to purchase them. Then she gets to us blind and sick and she’s handled by strange humans, vets and shoers, makes sense why she was so defensive. Thank God she had the comfort of her long time companion, Mammy. Since she’s been with us she has made other burro friends and has become one of Jon’s favorites.

Buffy would be better suited in an environment with a lower number of animals to compete with. A new adopter would need to have burro and blind animal experience. No small children or dogs with high herding instincts.

Buffy would also benefit from a virtual adopter to help with her ongoing expenses.

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Cocoa has a new Baby!

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Cocoa has a new Baby!

Say hello to Cocoa and her new baby.

Cocoa was rescued from a kill pen in Bowie TX. She was pregnant at the time of rescue. When Cocoa arrived at DARS she was very wary of people. Her best friend is Hairy Mary who also arrived pregnant.

After her first farrier visit, we learned that Cocoa had the worst case of laminitis the farrier has ever seen! Her hooves were overgrown and her sidewalls were curled under and touching. She also has a heavy, cresty neck from the founder caused by laminitis.

Cocoa has become a very loving, trusting, sweet burro and a great mama. She enjoys her breaks when Jon takes her little nugget out to play and socialize while he tends to the horses.
Jon is LOVING watching her grow. He was excited when she got her first baby teeth last week Jon tries to take videos each day when he goes and interacts with her and sends them to Kim for her “Dailey Dose Of Burros Videos” as she tends to the medical needs of the donkeys, mules, and horses in Las Vegas.

Every time, we look into her sweet soft eyes, it’s so hard to imagine that this amazing baby would have never gotten to take her first breath or run, jump or kick her heels if we had not bailed and rescued her Mother! She would have literally been a lost soul forever! But that was NOT her fate! Mom was rescued from the shipping pen just days before being loaded on the truck and shipped to Mexico for slaughter.

In Mexico, Cocoa would have been shot or clubbed to death, skinned, for her hide, and sent to China. Her remains, including her growing fetus, would have been tossed in the trash or fed to other animals. i have a strong commitment and desire to save these mamas and instead of saving one life, we’re able to save two!

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Visiting Queen Valley Mule Ranch

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Visiting Queen Valley Mule Ranch , AZ

Steve Edwards has been working with mules for decades!

He’s been there and done it with mules and donkeys.

Jon, myself and James learned a whole lot of things from Steve on safely handling a mule or donkey. Many training tips and behavior modifications.

Mentors are an amazing thing to have. I’ve learned much from my elders. One of the biggest things I learned is,  why try and figure it out the hard way? Ask someone who has already done it, save yourself a few bruises!

Steve Edwards, we truly enjoyed spending the weekend with you and it was a pleasure meeting Dave as well!

Steve and Dave offer an online talk show every weekend where you can log in and ask questions and get an answers.

Kim Aurich with Dreamer
Jon Aurich with Dreamer and Abner watching on