Beading Divas January/February fundraising partner is Forever Home Donkey Rescue & Sanctuary (FHDR) in Benson, AZ. Their mission is to help donkeys in need of rescue, rehabilitation, and rehoming. For more info, visit: https://foreverhomedonkeyrescue.com/
In July 2020, Kachina was surrendered to the Rescue along with her daughter Anasazi, son, Koshare, and father of her babies, Mudhead. Kachina and Anasazi were adopted in November 2020 to a loving home. They were well cared for. Last July, we received a call that Anasazi had died in her sleep. She did not suffer, just never woke up. She was just 22 years of age. Her mother Kachina cried for her and started to die from grief. Their adoptive owners called the rescue to see if we could help. We brought another donkey, Ruthie, to be a companion for Kachina. It worked! Kachina stopped grieving and began eating and drinking again. She and Ruthie became friends and things were good. Unfortunately in November 2024 their adoptive owner had surgery and was no longer able to care for the girls. We brought them both back to our rescue.
When Kachina returned, we saw that she had some issues. She has severe cataracts in both eyes and cannot see at night. She also had gained weight since we saw her in July, and by January she was getting really big. We did blood testing and found she is pregnant! What a surprise – we are a rescue, we do not breed! Our adoption contract states that our adopters cannot breed our donkeys. Kachina’s pregnancy was a surprise to her adoptive owners as well. Kachina had been living in ranch parcels, and we believe a horse stud or donkey Jack got loose and visited her. We won’t know which until the foal is born.
Since we do not breed, our pens are not set up for a baby donkey or mule. We have fenced in a barn and corral with horse fence to protect the baby. We moved Kachina and another donkey, Bonnie, out to the area so they are protected. Once the baby is born, we will secure the 750 feet perimeter fencing. Since Kachina is 25 years old, we want to make sure the baby is viable before we put money into securing the fence. We have only had 3 baby donkeys in the 26 years we have been here, so the couple thousand dollars needed to run new fencing is an expense we did not expect, but are willing to pay to protect the baby donkey or mule. The baby should be here by the end of March! Kachina will stay here in sanctuary for the rest of her life, and we already have a home for the new donkey or mule when it is old enough to be adopted out. Kachina was such a good Momma to her other babies, we know she will be a good mother to this one too!
You can help Forever Home Donkey Rescue & Sanctuary save other deserving animals like Kachina by purchasing one-of-a-kind, handcrafted Beading Divas bracelets. Cost per bracelet is $20. Bracelets make great gifts any time of year!
The best selection is online via Etsy but in Tucson you can also buy bracelets at Fuchsia Spa in La Encantada Shopping Center, and Silver Sea Jewelry in the historic 4th Avenue Shopping District (Silver Sea is open Tuesday-Sunday from noon-6pm.)
