Burros

Weedie, a Donkey Hero

Grannie
Grannie
This is the true story of two donkeys, also called burros, who live at Sunni Moland-McNary's Burro Rescue Rehab Relocation Onus (BRRRO), a farm that rescues abused or abandoned burros. The story is told by Sunni, herself.

When Grannie,a very old, solid white jennet (a female burro), came to BRRRO, she was not in very good health, but managed to get along with the other burros in the herd until 1994. Then, her eyesight became worse until she was almost completely blind. Her heart was no longer very strong, and she was not able to digest the regular hay all the other burros were eating. So that I could keep an eye on her and give her special food, I moved her into a smaller pasture with Weedie, another jennet but not quite as old or infirm as Grannie. Little did I know the bond that would develop between the two burros. Weedie literally became Grannie's eyes. If Grannie becomes lost, she need only beller and Weedie comes to find her. One day, late in summer, I gave Weedie and Grannie the freedom of the whole pasture all by themselves. During the day, they grazed a sub-irrigated field far from the house and without my supervision. One afternoon I came home and found Weedie at the house without Grannie. Weedie brayed several times until I understood what she was trying to tell me. I jumped into the truck to search the fields to find her friend. Sure enough, Grannie was in trouble. She had lost her balance and fallen into an irrigation ditch. Grannie's center of gravity not being the greatest, she could not right herself and get out. I called a neighbor, who brought a tractor to pull her out and get her up. And who followed me back and forth between the fields while all this was going on? Little Weedie. Then she followed Grannie and me back to the safety of the barn.

Six months later, Grannie and Weedie were again allowed to graze at liberty (but this time close to the house). It was spring and the wind was blowing. I was concerned that old Grannie would be chilled by the wind so I grabbed her blanket and trotted out to put it on her. Unfortunately, the combination of the wind and my rapid movements caught Grannie unware, and because of her limited sight, she spooked at the flapping blanket. She started a jagged trot -- straight toward a cliff! It was a steep slope and a 20 foot drop to the bottom. A normal, healthy burro would have probably survived that tumble, but it would have been a serious mishap for Grannie. Ten feet before the edge, Weedie deliberately (I mean, it was unmistakeable!) moved her body directly in front of Grannie and stopped her forward movement. No one's jaw dropped lower than mine.

This is only the tip of the iceberg. If they can do this in front of me, imagine what they do when I'm not watching! What wonderful, spiritual, and, yes, ethical behaviors are hiding behind those long, adorable ears. Weedie is indeed an equine hero.

Visit this wonderful farm and the burros

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