Donkeys are wary of dogs, especially guard donkeys protecting sheep. They see them as coyotes in a way, and the sheep often hide behind them, especially Zelda The Magnificent, who will lead the other sheep behind a donkey to try and thwart the dog. Of all our donkeys, Simon and Lulu are the most protective. Every now and then, Simon puts himself between the sheep and the border collie, Red and there is a standoff. Until I got to know Red, I usually intervened, calling the dog off. Simon is much more powerful than Red and if he went after Red with his teeth and his hooves, Red would be stomped or crushed.

But then I saw that Red knew what he was doing. He gets into position and completely ignores Simon, doesn’t look at him or move or react to him in any way. Simon will try and block him, and Red will just be completely still. Sometimes Red will move a few inches one way or the other so he can see the sheep. Mostly, he is just still and in a few minutes Simon, feeling he has done his job perhaps, will move off. Donkeys are easily distracted, they are intensely curious. Red always wins these standoffs.

These standoffs occur once or twice a week, much less frequently than before. I often see Simon come up to Red and sniff him, just as Rocky did. He knows he is part of the farm now, and I feel confident Red can handle himself. Two animals just doing their job.