Who can resist and not help but love…or at least have a huge soft spot in their hearts… for these adorable long-eared equines? It is difficult to even imagine someone treating these cute boys, Elliot and Riot, in a cruel and despicable manner. While heartbreaking to learn they were disrespectfully abused, badly mistreated and heartlessly abandoned, it is where Red Bucket’s story of trust and healing with them both began.

Elliot and Riot are two handsome donkeys that have already been placed in a loving, forever home. They are both super adorable, and had suffered horrible abuse throughout their life. Nothing could have prepared Red Bucket for what we found when Elliot and Riot were rescued. Elliot had been abandoned and left behind at a ranch without any food or water for more than several days. Riot had been terribly abused…he had scars from being tied up with barbed wire through his mouth and extremely severe scarring on both of his hind legs. With such blatant neglect and mistreatment, it is amazing to see how well these two special donkeys responded to being handled with care and kindness. Both Riot and Elliot have turned into happy and adored pets today in their loving, adoptive home.

Riot had suffered such brutal maltreatment that his body would shake and tremble as humans approached him. He would close his eyes and hunch his back as if ready at any moment to take the violence he had endured in his former life. Riot had been found wandering the streets of Riverside, hungry and frightened, when picked up by Animal Control. Once Red Bucket had him safely in their rescue facility, it was decided that putting him together with Elliot and a mini-horse named Thunder-Pants would help both donkeys with the healing process of learning to trust again. Thunder-Pants proved to be a very effective mentor with both boys, especially Elliot, who was extremely fearful.

Donkeys are known for their tenacious ability of self-preservation. They are slower to trust humans than horses, but once befriended by a kind-hearted person, they are completely loyal companion animals. They have been known to make excellent security guards on ranches and farms, where their braying can sound an alert at the slightest hint of unknown danger. Donkeys are extremely protective of creatures in their care and have been utilized by sheep and goat herders to protect their herds from stealthy predators like coyotes. Donkeys also have a sort of built-in radar system, which lets them know when it is safe in most situations. Once a donkey has been abused they must feel secure and confident that their environment is protected before they will begin to trust humans again. The Red Bucket volunteers earned the trust of Elliot and Riot with tons of patience, calm encouragement and loads of love.

“If you do the right work and let the right timing happen…an adopter will present themselves,” according to Susan Peirce. As destiny would have it, the perfect adopters contacted us about Riot and Elliot. This wonderful couple, Pearl and Andrew, found our boys on the Red Bucket website. They were looking for a pair of donkeys to love and nurture on a daily basis. Their interest was in making the
donkeys’ lives wonderful with little to no expectations in return. The two of them wanted to provide a loving home to care for Elliot and Riot and keep them as “companion” pets. The entire Red Bucket team is delighted that these two special donkeys, who were once discarded and abused, are able to complete this family and spend peaceful days in their forever home.

Written by: Johanna Downs