NONPROFIT
In addition to being known as the “joy donkey,” Bu y is also the “kissing donkey.” There are ve donkeys that reside at Loving Long Ears Donkey Therapy & Sanctuary in Southlake. (Photos by Karen Chaney/Community Impact)
Loving Long Ears Donkey Therapy & Sanctuary Southlake nonpro t mirrors therapy methods popular in Europe, healing people and donkeys W hile volunteering at an equine therapy center in Arizona, Jules Peterson BY KAREN CHANEY
Jules Peterson is pictured with two of her rescue donkeys Daisy and Bud.
because the people are also healing the donkeys. The people have a story they’re overcoming, [and] so do the donkeys; that’s where the synergy comes from.” Peterson evaluates each person interested in donkey-assisted therapy, determining if it would be a good t, and, when needed, she uses licensed mental health therapists. Peterson said much of donkey ther- apy is not done via riding; it’s simply interacting with the donkeys. She referenced an adult cancer patient who arrived with a heavy spirit, but she left with a beaming smile. “I thought to myself, ‘I didn’t cure her cancer, but this little therapist with long ears gave her joy that no other talk therapy could have given her,’” Peterson said. There are ve rescue donkeys that call the sanctuary home. Peterson explains the living conditions are not ideal in a barn that is not enclosed. That causes her to rig up systems to stave o extreme weather. She actively searches for funding to move to another location and have a barn where they can shut the doors.
found herself drawn to two don- keys, Miss Taco and Belle, grazing in the eld. They had a history of being abused, resulting in a lack of social skills. Peterson developed a bond with the four-legged duo. The connection was so strong that when Peterson and her husband moved to Texas in 2017, she brought them. “I started working with them to get Belle to let me be near her and to touch her, and after I started working with them, especially Miss Taco, I thought, ‘Why aren’t we using donkeys for therapy,’” Peterson said. Peterson found that donkey assisted therapy, popular in Europe, was scarce in America. In 2020, she established Loving Long Ears Donkey Therapy & Sanctuary, a nonpro t located in Southlake. “It’s been a lifelong dream of mine to do something where animals are healing people and people are healing animals,” Peterson said. “That’s why I only choose rescue donkeys,
Bud enjoys a friendly game of ball with Jules Peterson.
The donkeys are keen on celebrating holidays, just like humans .
WAYS TO HELP Donkey therapy is more than just riding.
Donate time Volunteers are
Donate nancially All funds go toward feeding the donkeys and vet bills.
Donate land Get own facility for the donkeys, sanctuary.
needed to clean stalls and groom donkeys.
Loving Long Ears Donkey Therapy & Sanctuary 2573 N. White Chapel Blvd., Southlake 214-991-0797 (call for an appointment) Find them on Facebook Hours: open to the public Saturday and Sunday by appointment only A love donation of $50 per visit.
SOUTHLAKE
N. WHITE CHAPEL BLVD.
E. DOVE RD.
N
15
GRAPEVINE COLLEYVILLE SOUTHLAKE EDITION • NOVEMBER 2022
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