Sadly in January we had to say a final farewell to one of our donkeys at Trow Farm, Dominic. D. After 23 years at the Sanctuary his health had deteriorated and the difficult decision was made by our vets to say good night for the last time.

Dominic was relinquished to The Donkey Sanctuary in October 1993 after living in a home for 6 years. He started his sanctuary life in our donkey assisted therapy centre in Sidmouth and stayed here for around 5 years meeting hundreds of visitors. After retiring from the centre he then moved just over the path to live on the Main Yard at Slade House Farm. Hundreds more visitors would have had the chance to meet Dominic again and would have been able to give him thousands of cuddles as he lived here for 6 years.

At the age of 17 it was decided to retire Dominic from the public eye and he was moved across the road and into the beautiful valley where our farm Hurfords is situated. He spent a very happy 8 years making friends, climbing the hills and enjoying the peace and quiet that is one of the many draws of life at Hurfords.

When Dominic turned 25 it was noticed by his grooms that he was starting to slow down and the hills at Hurfords were more of a struggle than an adventure. With his teeth also starting to deteriorate we decided alongside our vets that he would benefit from the flat ground and short chop diet that we provided at Trow Farm. So it was a quick trip up the hill in the horse box to be delivered to his new residence. Dominic fitted in beautifully at Trow and seemed to enjoy his old age with his fellow long-eared friends. Despite having a few health blips over the years Dominic has lived a very happy life at Trow for the past 4 years.

During all his time at The Donkey Sanctuary he never found a companion of the long-eared variety but he always loved attention from humans which is why he thrived at the donkey assisted therapy centre and also on the Main Yard at Slade House Farm. He would stand for hours to be groomed and loved fuss from any visitors, our grooms or our Quality Time Volunteers. He loved little treats such as ginger biscuits and polo mints. His previous owners sent him gift bundles every so often that he would, sometimes, but not always willingly, share with his friends. He was a real character and he will be sadly missed by all of us.