Fanny is a sweet creature, she is affectionate, independent, and very cool. I see that ponies are impulsive and excitable, but nothing much fazes Fanny. Lulu is a guard donkey, she is ever-vigilant. Fanny sidles up to me all the time, and bumps me with her butt. If I don’t pay prompt attention to her, she will nose me in the butt to get me focused. She loves being photographed, is wonderful with children.

Like all donkeys, she is eerily intuitive. She can read human intentions efficiently and reliably. If I have medicine or a syringe in my pocket, she will take one look at me and be gone. If I have a carrot in my pocket, she will be standing waiting for me. She doesn’t fight over food, or get rattled over territory. Donkeys, I believe, are smarter than most dogs and easier to care for. Donkeys are profoundly spiritual, they have been living and working with humans for thousands of years.

Everything is their idea, and donkeys have been mistreated for centuries, if they don’t think something is good for them, forget it. They just won’t do it. The way to get a donkey to do something is to pretend either not to care, or to trick them into thinking you want them to do something else. Donkeys watch humans closely, they know how to unlatch gates.