That handsome redhead in the back? That’s BK. And yes, there’s a story behind the name—because when isn’t there?
See, DH thought it would be hilarious to name the donkey Barack. I, on the other hand, thought it would be a tragedy. A five-alarm insult to the intelligence of an innocent animal who has, thus far, done nothing to deserve such a burden. I mean, the poor thing already has to live with goats—why add insult to indignity?
Now, my daughter, granddaughter, and I? We’re a little more sentimental. We wanted to name him Kirby, after a favorite character from a movie who, incidentally, is charming, lovable, and not at all interested in running the country or carrying the weight of political debates on his fuzzy little back.
So we compromised—and by that I mean I ignored DH and declared my side the winner. He is officially Barack Kirby, or BK for short. I just call him BK. Because again, I have standards.
BK is a 5-month-old miniature donkey, which basically means he’s got all the stubbornness and attitude of a full-size donkey, packed into a pocket-sized frame. He’s currently in the “awkward middle school” phase of donkey-hood, complete with gangly legs, endless curiosity, and zero awareness of personal space.
Right now, he’s bunking with three goat kids who have already taught him how to scale furniture (donkeys are surprisingly agile when peer-pressured), and two Great Pyrenees livestock guardian dogs who’ve taken it upon themselves to teach him barn etiquette—namely: don’t eat the chickens’ snacks and don’t pee in the communal water bucket.
Eventually, he’ll graduate to pasture-mate status with the horse. That is, once he gets a little bigger, a little bolder, and stops trying to chew on the electric fence like it’s a Twizzler.
For now, he’s learning the ropes, making friends, and providing plenty of blog material—because if there’s one thing I’ve learned, it’s this:
You can never trust a redhead with hooves. Especially one with a name like BK.
Stay tuned.
3 comments:
Very cute! Aren't those what they call "St. JOseph's" donkeys because of the cross on their back? It would be interesting to know if this was indeed the kind of donkey that Mary rode.
I'm not familiar with that term, but most donkeys have that cross and dorsal stripe. Donkeys haven't changed much throughout history, so a donkey back then is probably the same as one now. This is a miniature donkey so she probably rode a standard size.
Such a little sweetie!
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