When Susan Klingenberg’s dog Colton first saw the baby donkey, Willow, being born, it was love at first sight. She paced outside the stable, whining for her mom to let her meet her new friend.
As the self-assigned welcomer at Little Buckets Farm Sanctuary, Colton was used to greeting new additions to the family. Still, Willow’s mother, Olive, did not seem confident about letting Colton play with her baby.
But after a few days, Olive relaxed and allowed her little one to start exploring and getting to know her canine friend. The whole time the curious donkey sniffed her, Colton was still and calm.
The more Willow grew, the more independent she became, and the more comfortable Olive became with having Colton around. Colton would even help lead Willow out to the pasture in the mornings.
Colton became like an older sibling to Willow, offering a calming presence to the curious donkey. “Colton somehow seems to know when they all need a little special loving.”
Susan feels strongly about the connection the two animals have forged. She believes the relationship between these two can show that farm animals have just as rich emotional lives as our dogs and cats.
Watching the two of them, it is hard not to see how deep their loving connection is, and Susan hopes more people will continue to learn from Willow and Colton’s story.
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