Neglected donkeys get care

Yes, donkeys - those creatures of caricature who are the poster animals for stubbornness and the butt of jokes because of their comical hee-haw. Donkeys, it turns out, have a particularly rough go of it in this world. People buy them when they're tiny and cute, then lose interest. They shove them to the back of a barn and forget about them.

Donkey neglect
When first discovered in a field outside Kingston, Chiclet's hooves were so long they curled up like oriental slippers. This kind of neglect causes terrible pain, Pady says -- donkeys need their hooves trimmed at least six times a year.

People feel less guilty about mistreating donkeys because they're stereotyped as dumb beasts, says Paula Pick, a member of the sanctuary's board of directors. "They're seen as somehow less worthy."

Actually, donkeys are highly intelligent animals who will not be cajoled into an unpleasant situation. "If you ask them to walk through water, which they loathe, they'll balk," Pady says. "Whereas a horse can be urged to do almost anything."

City girl
To date, Pady has taken in 75 equines (mostly donkeys, but a few horses and mules as well). Her donkey sanctuary is the only one of its kind in Canada and is patterned after the Donkey Sanctuary in Sidmouth, England, which has been in operation for 30 years now.