Jack
Jack
is a 10-year old donkey who has worked his whole life hauling
loads for outfitters. He was on his way to the auction house
last fall when a friend of Jack's owner intervened and offered
to take him. He was thin, scruffy and scarred from too many
lost fights with outfitters' horses and mules. He also had
not been gelded, one reason why he was so roughly treated
by the other larger animals.
After putting some weight on Jack and getting him gelded, Jack's new owner realized she couldn't keep him much longer and needed to find him another home. A local animal rescue group put Jack's owner in touch with us.
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You can tell a lot about an equine's health history by looking at the animal's hooves. In Jack's case, his hooves tell a story of at least one case of severe founder, a dangerous and painful condition that causes inflammation of tissue in the hoof. Left untreated, this condition (also called laminitis) can cause permanent damage and leave an equine lame.
Jack is also missing half his tail. Our vet thinks someone simply chopped it off, because some outfitters don't like tails getting caught up in the pack rigging.
Despite his hard life, Jack is a sweet and gentle creature who loves people. We can't get into his corral without having him trot over to bury his head in our chests.
We call Jack a "donkey" and Taco a "burro" because that's what they look like to us. However, they are the same type of animal -- a donkey by any other name is, well, a burro -- even though they look quite different and Jack is considerably larger than Taco. One thing Jack doesn't do is bray like a normal donkey. He aspirates a lot through his mouth and nose, just like Taco does before letting loose with his foghorn, but Jack never follows through with a real bray.
Like our old hard-working Appaloosa, Shasta, Jack has earned his retirement here at the sanctuary.
