Will Trade Dog for Another Donkey

Well, you have to give the person who wrote this ad high marks for creativity:

I have a lonesome male donkey and am looking to trade a puppy for a female. Right now he is in a pasture with 2 cows and they are giving him a hard time because he is just trying to be to be friends. He needs a friend of his own. I have a litter (4) 6 wk old yorkies and would like to trade one for a jenny. My donkey has the cross on his back so I would like to have one like that but would consider all.

Not to say this is a bad deal, because this could be the perfect opportunity for someone who happens to have a jenny with a cross on her back, but this ad brought to mind an trade I once made.  I traded a nice two-wheeled cart for an ancient pony who had Cushings' disease.  Don't ask me what I was thinking, because I'm quite sure I wasn't... except that he was a very gentle, sweet pony and I wanted him when my boys were little.  The only trouble was, he was not just thin, he was a walking skeleton, and I spent hundreds on medicine and special feed before he was well enough even to lead around with a child on his back.

However, "Scrappy" (his name was "Scrappy", but my older son had a habit then of dropping the "S" sound from words, so for a while he was "Crappy the pony") had another unusual attribute I have never seen before or since.  His mane was so heavy and long that it had actually pulled the crest of his thin neck over to the right side.  When our typical hot NC weather started for the summer I debated with myself for a long time, and finally roached his mane.  It took an hour, even with sharp clippers.  When I was finished he shook his head a trotted off in the pasture, no doubt feeling much cooler.

I think Scrappy enjoyed his last year on earth.  Even though he arrived at my farm with one hoof in the grave he rallied, put on weight, and seemed to enjoy being petted and groomed by the children.  Mostly, he hung out in the field with my retired mare, but every once in a while we would put a saddle on him and walk around.  Nothing too strenuous.  His previous owner told me Scrappy had once been a pony ride pony.  I don't know whether that is true, but he certainly had the patience of a saint.  When finally his little body gave out he lay in the pasture taking his last breaths.  I sat beside, stroked his forehead, and thanked him for all he had done for people in his long life.  His kind brown eyes focused on me for a moment, and his ear flicked at my voice.  What a great spirit.  In the end, I realized what a good trade I had made.




If you enjoy reading this blog please be sure to view an excerpt of my book "Horsewomen in Foal and Other Equestrian Adventures"  (now available as an ebook!)