Pickles' Story

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The very first three donkeys we welcomed to Oscar’s Place in December 2020 were Goose, Pickles, and Shadow. Rescued from an auction by an organization in Southern California, All Seated in a Barn, they were just a few months old when they were brought to us. Tragically, their mothers had been lost in the slaughter pipeline. 

 

Goose and Pickles became fast friends and were inseparable. They realized quickly that they were safe here and started to come into their own. Goose has barely grown since he arrived, so we think he must have some mini-donkey DNA. He is the most relaxed donkey we have; he isn’t bothered by anything! When we use the fluorescent flags to move the herd, all of our donkeys except Goose go running. He just stands there, totally unfazed.

 

Shadow was terrified when she arrived at our sanctuary. We called her Shadow because she could often be found hiding in the corners of the barn (sometimes, she was very hard to find). She had very long hair and was covered in thousands of sticky burrs. Our team spent weeks handpicking all of the burrs out of her hair as she bucked, kicked, and tried to break free. But with persistent love and care, Shadow began to trust humans and get comfortable in her new home. Once she made the decision that we were her friends and would take care of her, she was all in. She started following us around — becoming our own shadow — and became very close with Goose and Pickles as well. Shadow is now full-grown, a total love bug, and basically dominates the herd!

 

The trio has become the Three Musketeers around Oscar’s Place — playing all day long, chasing each other in circles, and then collapsing into a big cuddle puddle, legs crossed, heads on each other’s chests, sound asleep. They are the “poster children” of Oscar’s Place, and will live out the rest of their lives here, free from the trauma that their mothers endured.