The HeidiTown.com Gives Back campaign kicked off last month. Throughout the year, one Colorado-based nonprofit of my choosing will receive free HeidiTown ad space for one month. On the first Monday of each month, I highlight the chosen nonprofit.
This month’s recipient of the HeidiTown.com Gives Back campaign is Longhopes Donkey Shelter.
Few animals have a more persistent stereotype than donkeys. They are portrayed as stubborn and generally obnoxious, but this isn’t exactly true. Donkeys are also often considered to be just a different sort of horse, and this couldn’t be further from the truth. The donkeys I have met have personalities closer to dogs than horses.
I met the owner of Longhopes Donkey Shelter, Kathy Dean, several years ago at Burro Days in Fairplay, Colorado. Just last month, I finally had the chance to visit the shelter, located in Bennett, Colorado.
My giving circle, People With Compassion with Pets, had voted to “adopt” one of the donkeys at Longhopes, just $300/year. Donkeys are fairly inexpensive animals, and the $300 provides care and food for one donkey for year.
My friend, Christine, and I got to tour the facility and meet all the donkeys. Some were small, some were big, some were shy, but most were very outgoing, nudging us for attention.
There are lots of people in Colorado, who are great candidates for donkey ownership. You need at least two or more acres of land and a small, sturdy shelter. Donkeys are very social and often bonded, so Longhopes only adopts them out in pairs. The adoption fee for a pair is $550, and this includes spay/neuter and vaccinations.
Learn more about Longhopes Donkey Shelter and see all their adoptable donkeys at Longhopes.org. A tour of the Bennett facility must be prearranged. Longhopes also has an active Facebook page where new photos are frequently posted. While cash donations are welcome anytime, the shelter is always in need of hay and farm supplies.
I recently wrote a full article about Longhopes Donkey Shelter in a local newspaper. If you’d like, you can read it here.