We are a 501 3c charity dedicated to boosting preteen girl's self esteem through (rescue donkey) equine therapy.

You might be asking "why donkeys?" Donkeys are the dogs of the equine world. Donkeys want compassionate leaders. Teaching a girl to partner with a donkey helps that girl learn to use positive body language.

Mario (formerly Seamus)

Mario was a roping donkey that an old cowboy had saved. Donkeys are not well-suited for roping. They can't take the neck and leg trauma and are not mentally fit for being chased and thrown down. Donkeys are sometimes used for roping because they are cheaper than calves which have a much thicker neck. The cowboy brought him to the Hangry Donkey Ranch asking if they would find him a good home. He was adopted out through Lucky A Ranch with 2 older female donkeys (jennies), but came back after a few years due to family problems. Despite these issues, Mario was a favorite of the volunteers at the Hangry Donkey Ranch. That is when I met him. I fell in love with his beautiful coloring and pronounced cross on his back. He and best friend Luigi are now the founding members of the Brave Brays. Mario has persevered through a lot in his nine years. He is still very reluctant to have his feet cleaned and trimmed. (By reluctant, I mean stress poops and occasionally kicks). That is probably a hold over from his days as a roping donkey. He and I are very close now. He loves his ear scratches and butt massages. He is very good with the girls.

Luigi

I found Luigi at the Hangry Donkey Ranch near Phoenix. Luigi was one of four similar-looking donkeys rescued from a bad situation. Unfortunately, Luigi's mother died during the long haul to the Hangry Donkey Ranch. Sweatpea, another donkey mama on the trailer, adopted Luigi. The three surviving donkeys were adopted by a nice lady in the Phoenix area, but she got ill and had to give the three back to the Hangry Donkey Ranch. That is when I I went up to the Phoenix area to check out the Hangry Donkey Ranch. I fell in love with Mario, the beautiful gray donkey. His best friend was Luigi. We like to keep the bonded pairs together, so The Hangry Donkey Ranch brought them both down to me in January of 2022. Luigi has been an amazing ball of loving energy ever since . He also turned out to be a surprise non-gelding. I will only share THAT story privately.

Bowser (formally Shrek)

Bowser was originally a breeding jack, but did not produce a foal. He was then adopted by a loving family who castrated him. Castrating a donkey may sound cruel,
but ungelded jacks can be very aggressive. Unfortunately after about five years that family could not take care of him any longer. The family did the right thing
and gave him to LUCKY A RANCH, INC. Then my friend The Hangry Donkey Ranch, Rescue and Sanctuary 501 c3 transported him to Phoenix and down to me.

Bowser had a bit of a reputation as being aggressive, but I have found him to be amazingly sweet. As you can see he is also quite a looker. He is about 15 years old.

Meet Toadie (formerly Apache)

Toadie has been through a lot in his short life. He came onto my radar (via Facebook) when he was saved by some awesome people from a kill pen. He was transported to LUCKY A RANCH, INC for quarantine and sustenance. He had some health issues, but they seem to have resolved with some medical care. He is very sensitive to flies, so he must almost always wear a mask. He is slightly shy, but loves HIS people. He tried to be the herd leader, but Luigi said "No Way You Hee Haw!" Toadie is a bit of a loner, preferring the company of humans to donkeys.

Donkey Kong (formerly Romeo)

I made the mistake of looking on Craigslist when I saw this little guy. This beautiful boy was housed alone for a year or two. Donkeys are herd animals, so my heart told me to go check on him. He had been treated well by humans, but he was lonely and stressed. He just paced his yard continually. Now he is happy. Just like Toadie, DK prefers the company of humans to donkeys. He loves head scratches.