Honoring the values of our founders, Mary Ida and Wilbur Young, and continuing the Absorbine® legacy of compassion for horses and animals, in 2017 we’re sending all employees out to volunteer at an animal welfare charity of their choice. It wasn’t very hard to pitch this initiative – “You say we have to take a day off to go on an Absorbine® volunteer days adventure at an animal rescue? Well twist our arms!!”

Sarah:

Jim and I chose the Granby, MA branch of Peaceful Valley Donkey Rescue, located at Friends Of Noah Farm for our Absorbine Volunteer Day. Marianne & Dan Lemelin opened this PVDR location two years ago, and have since taken in three loads of donkeys for adoption. The shipments arrive from the home center in San Angelo, TX, with about ten to fifteen donkeys. This year, fifteen donkeys arrived at once and nearly all were placed in new homes within a week!

Marianne and Dan have also personally adopted four donkeys, two horses, and many ducks to be permanent residents at Friends Of Noah Farm.

Peaceful Valley Donkey Rescue

Peaceful Valley Donkey Rescue, the parent organization, was founded by Mark and Amy Meyers over seventeen years ago, in Texas. The organization has since grown and it now has satellite adoption centers all over the country. See the full list here. True to the name, Peaceful Valley Donkey Rescue focuses on donkey and burro rescue, rehabilitation and adoption. Over 8,000 donkeys have been saved by the organization, at a current rate of about 750-1,000 per year! Unfortunately, the adoption rate still falls far below the intake rate. One of rules at “PVDR” is that donkeys are not adopted alone – if there isn’t already an equine of some sort waiting for them at home, you’ll need to take a pair.

The Donkeys

Jim:

“Duke was my favorite – he is a large, 11-year-old standard donkey, who was adopted by Marianne. Duke has an interesting story. When Marianne was looking to adopt a donkey for herself, she went to an adoption event and all of the cute mini donkeys were being adopted. As Marianne was leaving, she saw Duke with his head lowered, looking down and out. She told her husband to turn around. ‘Duke is coming home with us!’ she told him. Her kindness paid off big time; he is a sweet boy!”

It was truly an inspiring day for the Team Absorbine. Donkeys have so much love to give. And did we mention they are easy-keepers, requiring very little food compared to horses? Why not get two!? In Granby, Massachusetts, you can find the donkeys of your dreams at Friends Of Noah Farm. Just email magr@pvdr.org, or call 413-244-9789. You can also find them on Facebook. And to learn more or donate to Peaceful Valley Donkey Rescue organization, click here.