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JULY 2025
MCINTOSH, HOWIE & EDGAR
McIntosh & Howie's Story
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Howie and McIntosh are two adorable boys, born just two weeks apart in August 2024. Like many of the donkeys we rescue, both of their moms were pregnant when they arrived at Oscar’s Place. Buttercup, Howie’s mom, and Thumbelina, McIntosh’s mom, were both rescued in January 2024. While Buttercup was friendly and trusting from the beginning, Thumbelina’s journey to trust was a slower, more delicate process.
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It wasn’t until Thumbelina gave birth to McIntosh and witnessed the care and love we poured into her and her baby that she began to let her guard down. This transformation was a beautiful reminder of the power of compassion and the deep bonds that can form when animals feel safe and understood.
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The two boys, Howie and McIntosh, have grown up together at the sanctuary, forming a close friendship while also showcasing their unique personalities. Howie is the epitome of a “lap donkey”—gentle, affectionate, and endlessly cuddly. He thrives on human attention and will happily lay in your lap, often dozing off if given the chance. His calm and loving nature has made him a favorite among staff, volunteers, and visitors alike.
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McIntosh, on the other hand, is much more energetic. While he shares Howie’s affectionate disposition, his adventurous and feisty personality sets him apart. McIntosh is always on the move, running, playing, and stirring up fun wherever he goes.
As the boys continue to grow and thrive, we look forward to a bright future for them. Once their mothers, Buttercup and Thumbelina, are ready, they will be adopted alongside their sons into carefully chosen, loving forever homes. This commitment to keeping families together is a vital part of their journey. The bond between mother and baby is unbreakable, and preserving this connection ensures that both the mothers and their sons can continue to find strength, comfort, and joy in one another as they transition to their new lives.
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At Oscar’s Place, we are privileged to be part of their journey and to witness the beautiful lives they have ahead of them.
About the Photographer:​
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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.
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About Oscar's Place:​
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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.
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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.
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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.