Forever Love with Donkeys
For thousands of years, donkeys have walked beside us—carrying our burdens, plowing our fields, and offering quiet companionship in times of peace, war, and hardship. These remarkable beings are far more than beasts of burden; they are deeply intelligent, profoundly social, and, perhaps most importantly, natural healers. Their gentle, steady presence is exactly what the world needs right now.
In this heartfelt episode, I sit down with Suzanne Velasquez, Director of Forever Home Donkey Rescue and Sanctuary, a 30-acre safe haven in Benson, Arizona, where over 30 rescued donkeys roam freely, at last experiencing the love and kindness they deserve.
Yet, the story of donkeys is not always one of kindness. Too often, they have been misunderstood, mistreated, and unfairly judged. But if you take the time to truly see them—to look into their soulful eyes—you’ll understand the truth: donkeys are extraordinary. Their ability to sense human emotions and offer comfort as therapy animals is nothing short of life-changing.
Therapy donkeys can be our partners in healing. With their deep sensitivity and unshakable calm, they have an innate ability to guide people toward safety—both physically and emotionally. For those who have endured suffering and trauma, simply standing in their presence can be transformative. Donkeys show us what it means to trust, to heal, and to find peace.
This World Donkey Day, we invite you to celebrate with us. Join The Human-Animal Connection and Forever Home Donkey Rescue in honoring and protecting these incredible animals. These stories of resilience, love, and healing will stay with you long after you’ve listened. Tune in and let the magic of donkeys touch your heart.
Listen to Episode #65 Now:
BIO:
The mission of Forever Home Donkey Rescue & Sanctuary is to help donkeys in need of rescue, rehabilitation, and rehoming. We focus on providing education and protection from animal cruelty, abuse, and neglect as well as a sanctuary for donkeys that need a forever home. I feel our business structure sets us apart from other rescues. We are an All Volunteer Rescue. No salaries are paid. Every donation dollar goes directly to the care of the donkeys.
We have agreed on a limited number of animals we can have in the sanctuary. There are two reasons for this. First, it is the care the animals receive. By keeping our number at 30 donkeys, we know that we can give good quality care to each and every donkey. We have our eyes and hands on each donkey every day, multiple times a day. Second, by knowing our max number, and with the support from our donors, we know the amount of money needed to care for each one.
We offer free tours and will always offer free tours. We believe it is important that anyone that wants to visit and learn about donkeys can come here and do so without the worry of cost. Education is the only way we will end the abuse and/or neglect of the donkeys. The more people we educate the better the donkey’s life is. Our donkeys enjoy the socialization with our guests. We love sharing our donkeys and their stories with our guests.
It is not always easy. There are times when we are at our max capacity that we have to tell people who are desperate to rehome a donkey that we can not take them. We do offer guidance but we just don’t have the room. We know there is a need for more donkeys to go into the sanctuary. If we took in all the donkeys that needed to be rescued, we would be overwhelmed in caring for them. There would be donkeys that would fall through the cracks. We would be failing the donkeys horribly. Financially, we would be begging for funds every minute of every day because of the cost of taking care of so many animals. It is just not the right thing to do for the donkeys or for the life of the rescue. We would have to close, and then we are not helping any donkey, not educating anyone and we would have failed our mission.
The lesson that I learned is “quality of life”. When we have a sick animal that needs to be put down, we have learned to take our feelings out of the equation. We have a “quality of life” measurement for each donkey, which changes with time. It is hard. We love each and every animal that has come through this rescue I actually cry when they leave us by rehoming or death. We do our very best but sometimes it is out of our control. We make the tough call to euthanize.
I really don’t want the world to know just about our rescue or me. I want them to know about the donkey and its plights around the world, not just the stories of the donkeys on our 30 acres. If our story can start a conversation or bring a smile or make a memory that is enough for us. It is all about donkeys. - Shoutout Arizona