| May 2007 Update |
| Tuesday, 01 May 2007 | |
We’re almost there!Don’t get excited, we are only referring to the end of winter. When the May 2006 Newsletter was being composed at the end of April, the weather was diabolical with cold winds and heavy showers. We complained bitterly that this was supposed to be the Summer Newsletter and it did not feel one bit like it!! By the time the Newsletters were printed, posted and in your hands, the weather had done a complete turnaround and we were all basking in brilliant sunshine during May. Ne’er cast a clootThis year, it is the other way round, we have been enjoying the warmest Easter for decades and in spite of the occasional cold wind to remind us that it is still only April, we hope that the fine weather will continue for some time to come. Here’s hoping it isn’t snowing by the time you read this!!!The donkeys have all come through the Winter remarkably well – visitors are impressed when they see the glossy, shaggy coats and we can assure you that not a brush has been near any of them – who has the time!!!On this day…..Old friendsBefore starting to compile this Newsletter, some time was taken to read through ALL the Newsletters since No.1 in May 2004 and a very interesting read it was too. Lots of things that had been almost forgotten about had been recorded and reading names of beloved donkeys that have passed away brought a smile, not a tear, since each had its own lovely personality and many memories – Foxglove, Pansy, Jack, Sam and Suzie.
They came in one by oneThe number of donkeys at the sanctuary after just one year (October 2004) was 17, mostly young colts and geldings, often found at cattle markets and possibly destined for the meat trade. We now have 36 donkeys in our charge.We are glad to say that things have changed since the sanctuary opened in October 2003 and we now find that the majority of donkeys being referred to us come from private homes. The reason for these delightful animals needing a new home is often because their own companion (of many years) has died and the owner wants the remaining donkey to find a permanent home with us where they will have lots of donkey company. Donkey dating...It takes some time for them to settle down – after all, they have suffered a bereavement and separation from their long time home – but sure enough, a close friend is usually found for them from within our resident donkeys. We can usually select the donkey which is most suitable in age, size and temperament but the donkeys themselves have the last say in the matter and before long, a lot of contented twosomes and threesomes can be seen grazing happily in our fields. They are brought together in slightly bigger groups in each field but we try to keep not more than say, 6 donkeys together as we do not want them to lose their identities and become Anonymous herd donkeys. Our donkeys are all very much individuals!!!
New friendsOne new such arrival is JACKO who came from Morpeth on 22nd March. He had lost his companion of many years, Freddie, only the week before but his owner tells us that Fred was 37 years of age and had not played with Jacko for a long time. He is another dark brown donkey, of slight build but is instantly recognisable as he has not got a mealy muzzle like all our other donkeys. He has earned himself the nickname of “the brown nosed donkey” and everybody knows exactly who he is. As Jacko is in his mid-twenties, we thought he would fit in well with our “old married Couples” group and placed him with Jock, Rambo, Millie, Madonna and Lavender, making three older couples. A young man’s fancyUnfortunately, in the field were also our two 2 year olds, Wogan and Molly and unbeknown to us, Molly had come into season just that morning. The naughty little flirt fairly gave poor Jacko the glad eye to the extent that we had to take her and Wogan out of the field before Jacko had a heart attack with excitement!!! Since Millie, Lavender and Madonna would all come into season in turn, it was decided to create a “Ladies Field” and they have gone to share the park with Kizzie and Grizelda. Wogan is the odd one out as he is a gelding but he is well behaved usually and the older ones will sort him out if he decides to take any liberties. A warm welcomeJacko is now sharing the new extension with Jock, Rambo and Dennis and the latter is doing his best to make him feel at home. The day Jacko was brought to the sanctuary, it was Dennis that came up to the fence to greet him so it is fitting that they maybe end up as a pair. We shall see.His owner came to see him two weeks after his arrival and he chose that day to be feeling off-colour, not eating and with a slight limp. He also had to suffer the indignity of having his feet attended to by our blacksmith so the poor lad had a lot to bear that day. However, by the next day, he was back on form, scoffing apples and deciding that he would prefer to eat the goats’ breakfast rather than his own. On the day before the visit, he probably had over-indulged in the sweet, fresh grass coming through and when his owner saw him, he had a sore tummy. His front feet were slightly warm the next day, giving the game away!! Not REALLY a new arrival!!Mrs Dale has a new donkey in her life. His name is RASTA, he stands 5 hands high and about 90 cm from nose to tail and we have to report that, at the minute, he is GREEN. Don’t worry, not a new breed of miniature donkey he comes all the way from Antigua and he is made from Palm Leaves. We are told that eventually he will turn brown – Oh NO! Not another brown donkey!! – He will be displayed in the shop but is not for sale.
Emergency Ward 10, House & ER all rolled into one!!Looking back over the old Newsletters, it reminded us of when our Galway Boys arrived in November 2005. One yearling colt (Pixie) which had to be castrated, one two year old gelding (Shaggy Sean) and two three year old geldings, Dillon and Jason. They were emaciated, wormy, coats full of lice and had not been handled. Many hours were spent calming them down so that they could be handled, getting rid of the worms and lice and feeding them up. Jason had a horrible face wound and Dillon had a nasty nasal discharge. All that was put right too.To see these boys now, happy, healthy and desperate to please their visitors, makes any downside at the sanctuary not matter one jot. Mind you, it was rather a shock to discover only last Summer that Dillon was a late developer and that he actually had never been gelded. He had his operation in March this year and came through it with flying colours.
Patient patientsThe major veterinary problems at the sanctuary still focus on sarcoids, a form of skin cancer in equines. It does not spread to other organs but can re-appear on other parts of the body. One of the treatments for this nasty condition is to apply a cytotoxic cream (a type of chemotherapy) which kills the growth off but sometimes it is better to just leave well alone as disturbing the sarcoid can occasionally activate it. We monitor any growths as they occur and consult with our vets to see if treatment would be beneficial. Nasal discharges and lameness are the other two regular conditions needing attention. Helen always has a supply of paper hankies on hand for the noses and a hoof pick to check out limping donkeys. She swears Jock has magnets built into his feet as he can locate nails, etc., better than any metal detector!! The early lush grass and greedy donkeys does not make for a good combination and can result in laminitis!!
PaddyPaddy still needs to be watched closely. He is not the strongest of donkeys and has problems with his mobility. His hind legs are weak so he tends to stay in his shed a lot when he would be better out taking a little exercise. When he lies or sits down for long periods, his legs become weak when he tries to stand up and it can be heartbreaking to see him hobbling down the field. As long as Paddy enjoys his food- which he does! – and can get about with his pal, Henry, then he will have a long and happy time with us. His liver condition has not been as bad this winter so hopefully, as the sun comes out, Paddy will grow a bit stronger.
HELP!!!!The sanctuary is going to be very busy this Spring and Summer with Group Visits. Already the calendar is filling up quickly with requests from everybody from Nursery and Pre-School Groups to Senior Citizens Clubs. These mid-week visits have to be escorted by volunteers who already give up their weekends to help at the sanctuary, so if anyone has any free time mid-week and would like to help, please get in touch – it would be much appreciated.
Best laid plansAt the time of writing, the sanctuary has submitted a Planning Application for a parking area that we have already constructed at the foot of the drive. We await permission for its use to be granted but until then we are obliged to continue to use the gravel area in front of the mansion house as our car park. We have long out-grown this area and in fact, consider it to be a potential hazard to have the visitors’ vehicles drive that far into the estate. The new area is off the main drive and only a short walk from the office and stables courtyard. Anxious waitWe will let you know the outcome of the application. We can appeal if the decision goes against us and we may call upon some support from our regular visitors if we have to resort to this. The application can be viewed on the Scottish Borders Council website www.scotborders.gov.uk Planning Applications have a link on the right hand side of the Home Page and under “Search” type in our application number 07/00598/FUL We must consider the safety of our visitors and certainly do not want any accidents involving traffic at the sanctuary. The chosen site was picked to avoid this.
Fund RaisingThe “X” FactorIn February, two volunteers were asked to be judges at an X Factor evening at Dalkeith. Link Living, a support Group, raised nearly £100 for the sanctuary and Mandy and Helen managed to get home without being lynched for choosing the wrong winner!! And they’re off!A group of Event Management students from Jewel and Esk Valley College held a race night in St Boswells on 3rd March. The proceeds of this event (£200) were carried forward to fund future events to be held during this Spring when the final event (to be announced) will be for the benefit of the sanctuary. We shall advise how successful the ladies have been in a later Newsletter. We wish them well in their efforts and hope the sanctuary benefits. Border beastiesSome ladies who have been mentioned many times before in our Newsletters form the charitable group known as “Border Beasties”. They work very hard raising money for many of the animal charities in the Borders and they never forget their friends at the donkey sanctuary. A very welcome cheque was received “out of the blue” in March and as ever, we are very grateful to them for the generous donation. Roll up! It’s the Sally Lucy Show.At the end of March, our neighbours, Milestone Garden and Leisure, held an Extravaganza and once more, our wee Sally Lucy, was the star attraction on the Saturday and Sunday afternoons. She had her own little notice on her pen announcing that Sally would appear at 1pm and when she did, there was a queue of little people waiting to greet her! Milestone generously presented the sanctuary with a cheque for £100 and Sally had to be at the centre of the photograph with the sanctuary volunteers who looked after her at the event.
EveryclickFor computer users, another source of fund-raising which has brought some success is the use of the Every-Click search engine. We get a donation every time you use it to search the Internet. Click onto http://everyclick.com/uk/scottishbordersdonkeysanctuary and set Everyclick as your home page so that all your surfing benefits Scottish Borders Donkey Sanctuary. At the time of going to press we have 20 members who have raised £63 for donkeys just by 'clicking on'. If you already have a favourite search engine you can still raise money for donkeys. Make EVERYCLICK your home page then just type in the name of your favourite engine or auction site. But give it a go first, it is an excellent search engine. As they say on EVERYCLICK, Give your mouse a heart!!!
Many hands make light workIn March, we had a visit from a couple who had moved from the Inverness area to Jedburgh. Jane Stuart had run a Wildlife Rescue in the North and had a lot of experience raising funds to finance it. The following is a letter from Jane and we hope that you will take the time to read it and perhaps be able to help: Meet Jane“I am using a little corner of the Newsletter to introduce myself. I am Jane Stuart and have recently moved from Inverness to Jedburgh. Like yourselves, I have always loved donkeys and could not believe my luck when I spotted a donkey sanctuary up the road from me. I have no experience of working with horses or donkeys – my life is more dog orientated – 3 Newfoundlands, 1 Border Terrier, 1 Tibetan Spaniel and a lurcher! However, I did feel that I could make my contribution to the donkeys by helping with fundraising. I am now in the process of setting up a small steering group for fund-raising and – this is where the begging begins – badly need to hear from those of you who might be able to help in any way, e.g. Could you spend some time helping at an event? Could you make items for sale at an event? Could you suggest events which could be held where you live? Do you know of any outlets which might be willing to take a collecting box? Could you help to collect items for the tombolas at events/shows we will be attending?
I am only too aware that only those who have lived in an area for some time know which events could be successful and this is where you have the advantage over me. I also know that we all have other commitments so whatever time you can give will be welcome. I can be contacted at This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it or phone the sanctuary and I would dearly love to hear from you.” JANE STUART |
