I shared my first attempt at sketching a goat with you, so I thought I'd share my first attempt at sketching a donkey. It's a quick sketch from a photo I took, and I used a Zig marker. I seem to have an aversion to leaving room for feet, and the large ears almost didn't fit, but all in all, I think I did okay on it. And Doris does have woolly bangs. :)
This is Doris. When we answered the ad in the paper for a donkey, the guy told us it was a female. For some reason hubby started calling her Doris as soon as we went and saw her.
Doris is various shades of tans and beiges with a really dark brown stripe down the spine and shoulder blades. He also has a deformed back foot. The hoof turns up like an elf's shoe, but it doesn't hamper him about getting around. We don't know if he was born that way or it's been broken. The halter was so tight that it had grown into the top of his head and made sores under his chin. We finally got it off him though, and it's healed up and he is free of it. He's only a couple of years old and has been through so much. He's loved now though and is a pet.
Doris was in a small pen with a horse and a pony, not a blade of grass, just mud, with a makeshift shelter barely big enough for the three of them, a roll of sagegrass hay, and an empty dishpan for water. They were a sad lot. Cooter goat went in and out of the pen as he pleased, so he was getting plenty of grass and water.
We fell for Doris and Cooter as soon as we saw them, and we felt sorry for the other two. The fellow was selling out to move up north, and hubby got him to make a price for the three of them, plus the goat. So the next morning, on our 40th anniversary, we brought them to live on our small farm with our cows.
We kept them in the barn lots with plenty of feed, water, and shelter for a few weeks. We wormed them, gave them treats, and spent lots of time with them before turning them loose to have the run of the farm. They are still having trust issues with us, but they are getting better. They look like different animals than what we first brought home, and they have already given us much joy. You can no longer see their bones and the lice are gone. They are fat and sleek and have life in their eyes again. I'm thankful we are able to give them a home and love, along with carrots, apples, and they adore caramel cookies.
Doris turned out to be male, but the name had already stuck, so Doris it is. We wanted a donkey to help with the coyote problem with our calves, but Doris likes the barn and Cooter doesn't get too far from him. We've been told that most donkeys are hateful, but Doris has such a sweet personality and spirit that everybody just falls for him. Doesn't matter whether he helps with coyotes or not, he has a home and love now, as do Cooter and the other two.
Two of the Four Musketeers (Doris and Cooter). Stay tuned for the third member, and if I get REAL brave, I may try a sketch of the four together...
15 comments:
wow, great job!
Lovely story and really nice sketch ! You've done such a good job with welcoming them and now with sketching them ! Can't wait to see the rest of the gang !
Awesome!
Really great perspective and proportions! Donkeys are so cute. Also, they always kind of remind me of Don Quichote. :)
You have such awesome 4 legged friends! Great sketches too.
Oh this story almost made me cry. I love that they have such a loving, kind home now. Your drawing of Doris is very sweet, just like him. nancy
Awwwwwwww.... isn't he cute?!!! I love donkeys I don't know why. My wife said donkeys are usually smarter than horses and they make really good companions for horses.
=) This is just an awesome sketch!
That's a great drawing. The ears just leaving the edge of the paper go with the feet not there. It makes it look like a close-up picture.
I loved the story. We have people around where I live who mistreat their animals. We called for help with one neighbor but the county wouldn't do anything. The poor dog was locked in a bedroom and food was occasionally thrown in. It was horrible. The county said they couldn't go in without a warrant and weren't bothered to get one. The house was eventually found to hold several dead dogs although this one dog jumped through the window glass to finally get outside and was sent to live elsewhere (I hope it was a better place). We had moved away before it got so bad but in the end many goats died of starvation also. It really hurts when you can't depend on animal control to do anything to help. I am so glad you saved these animals!
Doris is adorable and you've done a great job with the sketch!
You and your husband are fabulous people! Thank you for taking these poor guys into your family! That's an awesome sketch, and I look forward to see the rest of the gang!
Great sketch and God bless you for taking in these poorly treated creatures! I'm sure they will be happy with you!
Great sketch and great story behind it all. Good for you!
Lovely sketch!
your sketch was great. i can't do any sketches. sad but happy story about the animals. last year we reported people in an area that were mistreating a puppy. don't know what happened. have a good day. rose
Had trouble sending this the first time, sorry if you now have two messages from me!!
Oh I really like this donkey, he's lovely! And I love even more that he's called Doris!! :o) Your previous sketch of Cooter is lovely too... are we going to see sketches of the horse and pony too? Lovely delicate drawings, their personalities shine through.
Hi, came to see the sketches (nice work) and read about your donkey...
Has your farrier seen him yet? That hoof can likely be helped by repeated trimmings at 2-week intervals. It is probably overgrown - that's what happens to donkey hooves when they're not trimmed. But you don't want to hack it all off at once. If you don't take care of it, it will cause him a lot of pain and he could founder... Do you have a natural hoofcare practitioner? Those are the best as they understand how to trim the hoof holistically (for balance of the whole animal).
Donkeys aren't hateful at all - people who say that don't know WHAT they are talking about. Donkeys are naturally as affectionate and curious as dogs, less likely to spook than horses, and they will tolerate SO MUCH before putting up a struggle, poor things. They are methodical and like to understand a situation first, but once they are familiar with things, they'll do ANYTHING for you.
Best of luck with him!
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