09/01/2026
📢 A BIG UPDATE FROM PEACEFUL PASTURES DONKEY RESCUE ❤️
We have some very big news to share with all of you.
Recently, Peaceful Pastures Donkey Rescue underwent a major change—one that has been a long time coming and involved a lot of thought, difficult decisions, and conversations about what is truly best for the donkeys.
Over the last several months, we have struggled to keep up with hoof care because of a lack of available farrier days. Kendra, who has been a tremendous help to us, moved to Michigan to follow her dreams. While we still have Patrick, he is mostly retired and is no longer available to care for the number of donkeys we had.
With more than 100 donkeys, keeping up with hoof trims, dental care, veterinary needs, and everything else they require had become increasingly difficult.
After a lot of thought and contemplation, we reached out to Peaceful Valley Donkey Rescue for help.
While Peaceful Valley President Mark and I have not always seen eye to eye in the past, there is one thing we have always had in common: we both want what is best for the donkeys.
Peaceful Valley is the only rescue in the United States that we felt had the resources, experience, and ability to care for these donkeys the way we would. They have specialized trainers, veterinary resources, and the capacity to provide the consistent hoof and dental care that these animals need.
They agreed to help us.
Our veterinarian came out and pulled Coggins tests on 123 donkeys. Once the testing was completed and the necessary health certificates were obtained, Peaceful Valley sent their semi-trailer and three larger gooseneck trailers to Missouri to begin transporting the donkeys to their Texas facility.
In total, they made two semi-trailer trips and one trip with each of the smaller trailers. The smaller trailers were used for some of our more fragile donkeys, as well as several moms and babies.
It was a huge undertaking, and seeing so many of our donkeys leave was incredibly emotional. These are animals we have loved, cared for, and gotten to know individually.
But we also know that this gives them an opportunity to receive the consistent care and training they need.
❤️ PEACEFUL PASTURES IS NOT CLOSING.
We want to make that very clear.
Peaceful Pastures Donkey Rescue is still here. We are still a rescue, and we are still committed to the donkeys.
However, we are changing the size and structure of our rescue so that we can provide a higher level of care to the donkeys who remain with us.
Today, Peaceful Pastures Donkey Rescue is home to 52 donkeys. 🫏❤️
This is a number we feel we can responsibly manage while keeping up with their feet, teeth, veterinary care, nutrition, and individual needs.
The donkeys who remain include our geriatrics, the donkey children we have raised, many of the social donkeys you know and love, and, of course, a few of those stubborn characters who still refuse to come out of the woods. 😂
We also contributed $6,000 toward Coggins testing and health certificates and provided Peaceful Valley with an additional $4,000 to help with the initial care of the donkeys arriving at their facility.
Because Peaceful Valley has specialized trainers at their facility, we are hopeful that many of the donkeys who went to Texas will be able to move forward toward adoption once they are ready.
We will also continue supporting Peaceful Valley Donkey Rescue financially each year to help with their ongoing mission and the care of the donkeys who joined their herd.
🌾 A BIG CHANGE IN OUR HAY NEEDS
Another major change is the amount of hay we need.
We are now purchasing approximately 400 bales of hay, which is about half of what we purchased last year.
For many years, that enormous hay expense was funded personally by Beth. Reducing that financial burden will provide some much-needed relief and allow us to focus our resources on the 52 donkeys who remain at Peaceful Pastures.
If we receive donations beyond what is needed for our current operating expenses, those funds will go toward improving Peaceful Pastures—including things like fencing repairs, facility improvements, and making our sanctuary safer and better for the donkeys.
❤️ THIS IS A NEW CHAPTER.
There is no way around it—this change is emotional.
Peaceful Pastures Donkey Rescue has grown tremendously since we began, and so many of you have watched that journey with us. We have rescued hundreds of donkeys, watched them heal, learned their personalities, celebrated their transformations, and cried when we had to say goodbye.
The face of Peaceful Pastures may look different now.
But our heart has not changed.
We are still here.
We are still caring for donkeys.
We are still giving them a safe place to call home.
And we are still committed to doing what is best for the animals entrusted to us.
Sometimes, doing the right thing means recognizing when we need help. And we are incredibly grateful that Peaceful Valley Donkey Rescue stepped up when we needed it.
To everyone who has supported Peaceful Pastures Donkey Rescue through the years—whether you donated, volunteered, sponsored a donkey, shared our posts, purchased something from our shop, or simply followed along and loved our donkeys:
Thank you. ❤️
You have been part of this journey, and you helped make all of this possible.
This is not the end of Peaceful Pastures.
It is simply the beginning of a new chapter.
And our 52 donkeys are counting on us to make it a good one. 🫏❤️
