Dave

We rescued Dave along with his brother Huey from an abusive situation in Washougal, WA in 2017. They lived a very deprived life along with other farm animals and had severely overgrown hooves, otherwise known as slipper hooves. Dave is one of our special needs donkeys–he has nerve damage from head beatings by his previous owner that has affected his ability to use his prehensile lip and tongue. Donkeys use their upper lip to grab food and bring it into their mouths. Dave’s nerve damage makes this difficult, so we have been fastidious in hand feeding him his breakfast and helping him drink water. The treatments are working, and he needs less and less assistance, though he loves the hour-long devoted attention of volunteers who help with his meals. He receives regular acupuncture treatments with the hope of restoring some of his damaged cranial nerves. In contrast to his past, at the sanctuary he is well-loved and would be voted prom king in a landslide. Everyone responds to trauma differently, and Dave’s openness to human affection is heartwarming. He is a love bug and enjoys any extra attention he can get, often plaintively following around our grooming volunteers even as they try to spread the love to other deserving donkeys. You might find him wandering the grounds looking dapper in his blue raincoat or his farm patterned winter coat!