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T&D Donkey Rescue, Inc.
Liberal, Missouri
Story and photos by Deanna Kafka
When Stasha's parents brought her to T&D Donkey
Rescue in July 2016, the 10-year-old girl was suffering
from a rare form of blood cancer called Essential
Thrombocythemia. No one had any idea at the time
how therapeutic her regular visits would become.
She enjoyed interacting with the donkeys, but her real
passion was for the horses here. She always wanted
to pet the horses but was afraid of them at the same
time. I encouraged her to brush the horses and just
get to know them. With her spending more time doing
what she truly loved, she was able to forget about her
illness. She was living with the knowledge that she
could have a heart attack, stroke, or a have blood clot
at any moment. The more time she spent with the
horses, the braver she became.
Stasha spent much of her time dreaming about horses
especially when it was time to have blood drawn or
have a painful bone marrow biopsy. Her fear of
needles causes her a significant amount of anxiety.
Her parents even bought her a toy horse every time
she had her blood drawn to comfort her. Needless to
say, Stasha currently has over 100 plastic horses (just
about the same number of equines we have here at
the rescue).
Almost two years to the day from when Stasha first
came to the rescue, we surprised her with a rescue
horse of her very own. Several private donors raised
more than $1,100 to provide the mare, all of the tack,
and even some feed. Stasha was speechless. I still get
goosebumps and get teary-eyed when we share her
story. Even the local television reporter who covered
the surprise had to step out to cry while Stasha was
trying to absorb what had just transpired.
Maybe it’s not a real miracle, but what happened next still boggles my mind. Just a few weeks ago, Stasha's blood report showed her platelet count had shown significant improvement. In fact, it has been the best since being diagnosed. Her disease isn't curable, but it appears that it won't mutate into leukemia anytime soon.
I like to tell people that we are changing lives, four-legged and two-legged alike. When we save an animal, many times they have lost that spark in their eye. Hope for them seems lost. Our greatest reward is watching that spark reignite.
We can change people's outlook too. City folk who lead stressful lives or those who have not spent much time around animals will find themselves smiling and singing to the donkeys. Many visitors find themselves rejuvenated when they spend time with the equine here most of which are donkeys. It is such a wonderful sight to see the spark in the visitors' eyes even after just a few moments.
About T&D Donkey Rescue
Heavy brows and heavy ears are both signs of defeat. Floppsalot came into our rescue five years ago appearing completely defeated. She arrived looking like skin draped on bone. She was covered in lice, she was wormy, pregnant and not to mention her feet were in terrible condition.
Floppsalot began to show signs of improvement daily and began to flourish even though she was “off” in her right hind leg which some days caused her significant discomfort. We worked hard to begin the process of healing from the inside out. We tried repeatedly to reintroduce ropes to her, but soon learned that she had been used as a roping donkey.
During her rehabilitation she made us smile, cry, and even laugh out loud. She taught us how resilient donkeys can be when they are understood and loved. We truly enjoyed watching her thrive in our care. She taught us about patience, hope, and most of all forgiveness.
In her honor, Tom Kohley and I decided to transition from being a horse rescue to mainly a donkey rescue. Compared to horse and mule rescue organizations there are significantly fewer options for donkeys in need of help. In February 2016 we became a 501c3 non-profit donkey rescue and we have never looked back!
The 90-100 donkeys here at T&D Donkey Rescue in Liberal, MO, located in the southwest part of the state, get a second chance at life. Between our volunteers and me, we spend many hours working hard to share kindness, love, and the comfort of safety, while providing quality care. They in turn, share their love, comical ways, and help us educate the community about how donkeys differ from horses.
Our gates are open to everyone who wants to meet our donkeys. We have classrooms that come to visit to learn about them and their care. Children with autism have learned to connect to the sweet nature of these creatures. People suffering from conditions including cancer and other illnesses can forget their concerns for a while when they are here interacting with the long-ears and a few short-ears.
We love to share their stories and watch people react to their antics. We have yet to see anyone come through our gates who didn't giggle or smile while they were here. So many times, people say “I did not know donkeys had so much personality” or “I didn't know donkeys could be broke to ride, pull a cart, or even show in horse shows.”
Our goal is to share how amazing these creatures are and what deep thinkers they are. They are often completely misunderstood animals who often end up neglected. We hear all of the time how people think they are stubborn, but truly they just have to stop and think things through. Just like people donkeys do not want to do anything if they do not feel safe. Training a donkey is much easier once we understand how they think. This makes all the difference in the world to them and their life.
In 2017, we took in 98 donkeys and adopted out 52 of them. This year, we have already topped those numbers. We are row-crop farmers who must depend heavily on donations. Our adoption fees don't come close to our actual rescue expenses, which include veterinary fees, feed, vaccinations, wormers, hospitalizations, farrier care, and maintenance.
Our focus is donkeys, but we occasionally take in horses and hinnies. We don't want to get any bigger, but we do hope to educate and share information about how unique and amazing donkeys are. They are not the same as horses. They require different diets, training, and even certain blood levels which may be normal for a horse but not for a donkey. Donkeys and horses have such a gift to share, if only we are open to receive it.
You can find us on Facebook at T&D Donkey Rescue Inc. or at www.tddonkeyrescueinc.org. We are always happy to answer questions or make an appointment for a visit. Do you have room in your heart and home for one of your own? If so, we are just a phone call or email away.