Dan Ellison and Klaus Duebbert brought Blessing and Elizabeth to the San Gabriel Mission on June 16 to visit and promote their Long Ear Donkey Rescue to the residents of the San Gabriel Valley.

The donkeys arrived in a little trailer that was shaped like a miner’s shack on one side and the Mission on the other side.

Blessing and Elizabeth enjoyed being petted and fed carrots by their fan club. Children and adults spent several hours visiting with these special animals.

Dan Ellison dressed as Father Junipero Serra gave a brief history on the donkeys that provided transportation for centuries as written in the Book of Numbers and the New Testament.

Klaus Duebbert explained that these rescued donkeys are up for adoption. Blessing and Elizabeth are both Jennies or female donkeys. They enjoyed all of the attention being paid to them.

The donkeys need a lot of tender loving care. They enjoy eating grass and carrots. Since they are desert animals they only drink water a few times a day.

Klaus Duebbert with the assistance of Blessing and Elizabeth accepted a $200 donation from San Gabriel Mission’s Business Manager Al Sanchez towards their feed and care.

Nine-year-old Aresha Echols enjoyed riding on Elizabeth. She asked her father to adopt this donkey for her.  Since Pasadena does not allow donkeys to live in the city her father had to turn down her request to bring Elizabeth home with them.

Aresha Echols also expressed her desire to be the first woman President of the United States of America. That is one desire that she maybe able to achieve.

Father Theo Fuentes visited with Elizabeth and Klaus Duebbert in the Mission Gardens. Father Theo said when he was a boy his family rode donkeys since cars were not available in his hometown. He said that his brother fell off a donkey and broke his arm when they were children. Now people in his village drive cars and don’t ride donkeys anymore.  He shared this trip down memory lane with us.

Long Ear Donkey Rescue is a 501 (c3) nonprofit donkey rescue located in the Inland Empire. Their web address is www.longear.net.