Donkey duo find happiness in Cumbria

Sixteen-year-old Lucy and Joy, 11, were rehomed by Guardians Dave and Sue in 2019 following the couple’s purchase of a holiday cottage business.

The land Dave and Sue acquired previously housed alpacas; a purpose-made stable and spacious paddocks were left empty and in need of residents.

It was a fitting scenario for Sue, who had harboured a long unrealised dream to care for a donkey since she was a five-year-old girl.

“I had no interest in horses,” she says. “I only wanted a donkey. I’m not exactly sure where my love of them stemmed from – I think I have a photo of me when I was two or three years old, sitting on the back of a donkey at a beach in Wales.

“I remember writing to Father Christmas asking for a donkey and being very upset each year that he didn’t bring me one!”

With the empty stable and paddocks at their disposal, Dave and Sue promptly got in touch with The Donkey Sanctuary, and were soon matched with a mother and daughter donkey pair called Lucy and Joy.

However, Dave and Sue’s path to Guardianship was anything but straightforward – unbeknownst to them, the rehoming attempt took place just at the same time Great Britain and Europe was rocked by an equine flu epidemic that caused widespread disruption.

Preparing for Lucy and Joy’s arrival

With donkey movements being halted as a result of the epidemic, Dave and Sue had to conduct their Guardian training locally instead of at The Donkey Sanctuary’s headquarters in Devon.

Thankfully, the generous support of former Donkey Welfare Adviser Pam Moon allowed Dave and Sue to handle donkeys for the first time on her land in neighbouring Lancashire.

“It was an amazing experience,” Dave says. “It was the first time we had ever been with such big animals. Although we were a little apprehensive, the training gave us so much confidence.

“With Pam alongside us, we genuinely began to think ‘we can do this’.”

After they completed their training, the big day arrived – Dave and Sue welcomed their new long-eared companions to Cumbria.

It was a landmark day for Sue – more than 60 years of desperately wanting donkeys had led to this emotional moment, and the occasion certainly wasn’t lost on her.

“I remember crying as soon as the transporter vehicle drove over the cattlegrid towards us,” she says. “I still get a lump in my throat when I think about it now!

“I’ll always remember what the driver said as he led the donkeys down the ramp. He told us ‘you’ve got two very quiet donkeys here’ – apparently they hadn’t made a murmur the entire journey.

“Thankfully, it didn’t take long for them to settle in and find their voices!”

Although Dave and Sue sold their business in 2023, Lucy and Joy made a big impact on the many guests who stayed at the holiday cottages in Cumbria in the four years they lived there.

Some lucky visitors were even fortunate enough to join Dave and the donkeys on a gentle walk along the surrounding fells.

However, with retirement on the horizon, Dave and Sue made the decision to sell up and begin work on a new project – refurbishing their next home, a seventeenth century farmhouse a short distance away.

New surroundings

Their new property purchase also included some vacant outbuildings, ideal for renovating into Lucy and Joy’s new home.

“We were concerned about how the donkeys would react and settle into a new place,” Dave adds. “Initially we chose a very nice existing stable as their permanent shelter, but our vet suggested to us that we let Lucy and Joy choose.

“It was a good call, as we put the mats down in the stable but the donkeys didn’t want to go in there.

“Instead, they chose a stone-built cow byre, which was very cosy and had a window they could look out of.”

Eight months into their move, Dave and Sue’s property is still being refurbished from the ground up – but Lucy and Joy are reaping the benefits of the spacious surroundings offered to them.

This freedom has given both donkeys autonomy in their decision making, keeping their minds sharp and inquisitive and their bodies moving.

“They sleep in the byre on the mats,” Dave says. “And there’s a big old barn they can explore during the day. They can also wander out into their paddock or around the farmyard, and up the access lane to us.”

When they’re not walking along the securely gated tracks, Lucy and Joy are often found pushing their noses into goings-on around the house as building work continues.

“They love the builders,” Sue adds. “And the builders adore them! They will scratch their backs and often fill up their water early in the morning before we’ve come out.”

The perfect match

Six years into their Guardian journey, Dave and Sue are enjoying their current days with Lucy and Joy just as much as their first ones.

And they’ve been buoyed by the ongoing support of Donkey Welfare Adviser Sally Bamforth, who has been on hand to answer any questions and allay potential concerns about donkey care and wellbeing.

Sue says: “The support we have received from The Donkey Sanctuary has been very powerful, because it’s equipped us with the tools to tackle all facets of donkey care. The donkeys keep us young and give us purpose.”

“Lucy and Joy have truly enriched our lives,” Dave adds. “They are our babies and we couldn’t imagine life without them.”