Norman's Story

​

Harry and Norman are a set of very sweet, very large, and very senior donkeys. Given our commitment at Oscar’s Place to keep bonded pairs together and to be there for senior donkeys with nowhere else to turn, they check both of those boxes. Harry and Norman’s previous owner was at a stage in her life where she could no longer care for her beloved donkeys—so she brought them here. The two are best friends and have lived a great life. They were used as pack animals and enjoyed many hiking trips with their owner. 

Harry and Norman immediately stole our hearts. Norman LOVES volunteers and takes every chance he can get to hug them. On the flip side, Harry picks and chooses the people he likes (I feel very lucky to be one of them right now). Both are very handsome and sweet. 

Sadly, Norman has a nasal cavity infection that we simply cannot get rid of. We have tried multiple rounds of every antibiotic under the sun. On top of that, both Harry and Norman have choked on their food a few times—they are seniors who don’t have the best teeth and eat too quickly. They also have sway backs and are a little bit overweight. We are managing their health to the best of our ability. 

While Harry and Norman are definitely in their final chapter, our promise to them is that we will keep them together for as long as we can. We will love them endlessly and keep them as comfortable as possible for the rest of their days.

Change the life of a donkey in need.

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.