A Surprising Twist in the Mini-Donkey Dilemma

Well, our Donkey Decision has officially been made for us. On one hand, I'm a little disappointed. On the other hand? Deeply relieved. The pressure of deciding whether or not to add another critter to the chaos around here has been lifted right off my shoulders by… anatomy.

Let me explain.

I recently requested some updated pictures of sweet little Clementine — the mini-donkey we were planning to bring home in a couple months. I was expecting more shots of her big brown eyes and fuzzy ears. What I got was a whole new perspective.

Because in one of those photos, I noticed something. Something… extra.

Something that girl donkeys don’t have and boy donkeys very much do, if you catch my drift.

I’m no expert, but I am pretty familiar with the basic differences between a mare and a jack. And this little lady? Definitely wasn’t a lady.

I ordered a donkey without the extra parts *sigh*

It was, I admit, a bit of a shock.

How did the owner not realize the mini-donkey he was selling us as a female was, in fact, a full-fledged boy? Well, according to him, he just found out when I did — after looking at the same photos he sent me. In his defense, he’s in his 80s, maybe doesn’t get out to the pasture much, and possibly needs new bifocals. So I’m choosing to believe it was an honest mistake.

But seriously… how?

If I hadn’t asked for more photos, we wouldn’t have found out Clementine was actually a Clyde (or maybe a Kevin?) until we’d driven four hours and had a donkey in our trailer with a surprise under the hood.

Now, to be clear, I have nothing against male donkeys. In fact, I’m sure Clyde/Kevin/Whatever would make a delightful addition to someone else’s farm. But we were specifically hoping for a jenny (that’s a female donkey) to eventually pair with our friend’s jack for a sweet little future foal.

So.

Decision made.

No donkey for now. Which is both a bummer and, frankly, a blessing.

The barnyard is chaotic enough at the moment without throwing unexpected donkey parts into the mix. I’m going to take this as the God’s way of saying, “Maybe cool it for a bit and just enjoy what you have.”

And honestly? That sounds like good advice.