.png){kind=small}
APRIL 2024
GOOSE & GUY
Goose's Story
​
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.
About the Photographer:​
​
Johanna Siegmann is an internally award-winning portrait and architecture photographer, specializing in photographing people with their pets. A collection of her unique images, which capture the relationship between humans and animal, has been published as In Good Company (Notable People with their Pets), available online globally and via special order from your local bookstore. Johanna believes in giving back to the community, and a portion of the proceeds from the book are going to charity. She has donated her time and talent to Oscar’s Place for this calendar project.
​
About Oscar's Place:​
​
Donkeys are some of the most loving and trusting creatures on Earth, and when they suffer because humans are unkind, Oscar’s Place steps in. While we’re just a team of everyday individuals, we deeply care for and are committed to providing a safe haven for donkeys in need.​ We focus on donkeys because the world's donkey population is being decimated. Not by disease, global warming, or predators. But because there is a high demand for their hides in the creation of a traditional Chinese medicine.
​
They deserve better than to be abused, crowded into horrifying transport containers, and shipped off to slaughter factories. Our mission is straight-forward: To every donkey that makes its way to Oscar’s Place, we will do everything in our power to keep that animal safe, healthy & happy for the rest of its life.
​
We love animals, and quite frankly, we need to team up with other people who also care about what happens to these beautiful creatures. The good news is that it doesn’t take much to make a big difference.​When you make a donation, you help a donkey recover emotionally and physically from its past.
You are restoring their belief in humans as caregivers. Your impact even makes it possible to re-home donkeys to carefully-screened adopters, which enables us to bring more of these precious animals into our care system. Again, we’re not special, but our team consists of caring employees, volunteers, veterinarians, and farriers – all with a singular objective: to help donkeys recover physically, mentally, and emotionally. Every person on-site is committed to hands-on interaction with our donkeys, every day.Loving them. Calming them. Healing them. We want to show them that humans can be good. Can you save a donkey’s life today or can you share this message?
Thank you so much for caring.