The Lonely Donkey and the Yoga Balls


A lonely donkey in Duncan, BC has been given a brand new lease on life due to volunteers, a viral submit ‒ and a pile of yoga balls.

Generally known as Earl, the donkey arrived on the Dwelling for Hooves Farm Sanctuary following the loss of life of his proprietor. Poor Earl was alone and wanted veterinary and farrier consideration.

“His hooves hadn’t been sorted, it was nearly like carrying footwear that had been 5 occasions too large,” Dwelling for Hooves president and founder Michelle Singleton advised International Information.  “He wasn’t capable of run or do something like that as a result of they had been so overgrown and in addition the area that he was in as effectively was only a yard, primarily. So he didn’t have area to run and graze and do all of the issues that donkeys must be doing.”

A donkey with a deflated yoga ball.A donkey with a deflated yoga ball.

Unhappy Earl together with his deflated yoga ball. (A Dwelling for Hooves Sanctuary photograph)

As soon as Earl arrived on the sanctuary his medical wants had been addressed, however he wasn’t thriving. He appeared unhappy and lonely and didn’t bond with any of the opposite barn animals. He craved consideration from individuals, and Singleton defined he would cry while you walked away. “It simply sort of broke your coronary heart.”



A go to from one of many sanctuary’s “foster mothers” proved a recreation changer. “She had the concept of giving him a yoga ball as a result of she’s used them for her horses,” Singleton advised the reporter. “So she gave him the ball, and he was like ecstatic as a result of he had his new hooves, he was capable of run round and rip round his pen. After which this ball was identical to pure pleasure for him.”

Nevertheless it wasn’t lengthy earlier than Earl kicked and bit the ball too arduous and it deflated. That’s the place social media got here into play. Singleton posted to the group’s social channels asking for a brand new ball:

Earl is heartbroken this night! His beloved ball has deflated and he’s the saddest donkey you’ve ever seen with out his ball 🙁
Earl performs together with his ball a number of occasions a day and he has spent numerous hours chasing after it. In case you have a spare train ball you’d prefer to half with (and fill Earl’s coronary heart with pleasure) please ship us a DM or e-mail.

The submit went viral. “Now we have, I feel, about 15 to twenty proper now as a result of we had Amazon packages delivered,” she advised International Information. “Folks had been simply coming and dropping off balls. It was to the purpose that I needed to inform individuals to cease as a result of I’m going to have a complete storage full from flooring to ceiling of yoga balls.”

Earl additionally now has three different donkeys prepared to hitch him in his paddock, in addition to his alternative of train balls.

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