Sometimes, I am sure the donkeys are jeering at me. When I scolded them for eating the barn, all three started braying at me, as if I were some foolish man trying to tell them what to do. Donkeys are the most independent minded animals I know. They can be gentle and loving, they can be wicked and stubborn. If donkeys know you don’t want them to do something, you are in for it. They delighted in annoying people and finding work to do that you don’t want them to do. They don’t seem to care much whether I approve or not. Donkeys cannot be bought, although cookies and carrots will distract them.