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JANUARY 2003 |
Meet our miniature donkey Leftie, these pictures were taken on the day he was born January 29, 2003. From his first moments we knew he was going to be a special little donkey. This page is devoted to sharing a wonderful donkey personality and the adventures of Leftie.
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From a young age it was apparent Leftie liked to eat. He never misses an opportunity to chow down. When he was still nursing he would steal drinks from the other jennets in the herd. I guess the other jennets must have seen how special he was too as they let him nurse as he was one of their own.
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As Leftie started to grow we knew that not only was he a personable little guy but he was going to be an amazingly beautiful donkey. His sire is Country Music's George Jones and his mother is Country Music's Kitty Wells. Leftie is just a nickname his registered name is WolfHeart's Doc O'Leo, we named him after a famous cutting horse in Texas. Leftie was destined for the showring so we carried him to The 2003 Tennessee State Fair. At six months old Leftie placed second in Miniature Jacks at Halter, he then went on to either be first or second in every show he attended in 2003. Pretty impressive for a little guy.
| SEPTEMBER 2003 | |
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Leftie had fun at the shows but he really longed for some real adventures so we promised him to give him some fun stuff to do. Quite often we catch Leftie dreaming of adventure.
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On December 29, 2003 Leftie was gelded. We figured his adventures would be much more fun if he did not have to worry about girls. We all know the problems girls can cause boys. Our veterinarian, Dr. Stafford performed the procedure and Leftie came through with flying colors. I did not photograph this adventure because Leftie does need a little bit of privacy.
So now that Leftie is a gelding his adventures can really begin. One of his first adventures was visiting our local Christmas Tree Farm to help us pick out our 2003 Christmas tree.
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When we got home from the Christmas Tree Farm Leftie was hungry so he checked out what was in the fridge.
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You should know Leftie is pretty modest about his celebrity, he seldom talks about his fans but a recent experience was one he wanted to share. Leftie recently traveled to Virginia to show at Cheers for Ears. When we arrived Pat Parelli, the famous Equine Clinician was just finishing a clinic at the Virginia Horse Center. Well, Pat's crew spotted Leftie and immediately started trying to convince him to join their summer tour. Leftie was tempted. Parelli's horses travel in a state of the art semi-horse trailer, top of the line in style and comfort. They showed Leftie the rig hoping to tempt him into a road trip.
As you can see, Leftie was not impressed. Leftie let them know the only way he would consider going was if he could ride up front in the cab of the Kenworth!!
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MAY 2004 |
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In the end, Leftie decided to stay and compete at Cheers for Ears. We sure are glad he did. He was chosen as the NMDA Reserve Champion Gelding. Leftie loves to show with his big sister Wynonna in the Matched Donkey Pairs class. They picked up another Blue Ribbon in the Matched Pairs Class!
Well the word is out Leftie is available and versatile. He just got a call from a big record producer in Nashville. It seems they are re-forming the group "The Village People" and they want Leftie to consider joining the group. He's considering auditioning as the "Electric Indian". It's tough to be a donkey with so much talent!
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Leftie just returned home from The Great Celebration Mule and Donkey Show. He often explores the show grounds at the different facilities that host the shows. Leftie happened upon The Celebration Wall of Champions, he read every name but never found "WolfHeart's Doc O'Leo". We explained to Leftie this particular monument was dedicated to Tennessee Walking Horses only and he should not feel slighted he could not find his name. I think he is going to form a committee to have the Celebration erect a "Miniature Donkey Wall of Champions". Check out Leftie's picture on the Show Results page. He was the RESERVE CHAMPION NMDA GELDING at the 2004 The Great Celebration Mule and Donkey Show. It was his 3rd reserve champion title in a row. |
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Leftie was recently interviewed by the Channel 12 news from Winston-Salem's Dixie Classic Fair. The interviewer was impressed with Leftie's commanding presence and quick wit. Leftie loves to tell his story. After the interview Leftie enjoyed the fair. He stumped the "Guess Your Weight" guy and then quickly went to the Funnel Cake Booth.
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Leftie wants to go to school really bad. He tries slipping onto every school bus he sees. How do you explain to a sweet, little Miniature Donkey he is too smart for school?
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Well it has been a busy time for Leftie in the month of December. He was really bugging us to do some "Holiday" stuff so he could spread the Christmas Spirit like only a Miniature Donkey can do. His holiday season started with a trip to see the famous "Light People" in Pelzer, South Carolina. "The Light People" are a holiday favorite in South Carolina. Every year at Christmas they decorate their quaint little mill village home with thousands of holiday lights. Then taking it one step further they dress the whole family in Christmas lights and greet holiday visitors that drive by to see their holiday bonanza. When Leftie arrived they treated him like one of the family by draping a lighted blanket on his back. Leftie was a hit with the children as they drove by in their parent's cars. "The Light People" raise money for Breast Cancer by accepting the donations from all the visitors. Thousands of cars drive by to see "The Light People" of Pelzer.
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If hanging out with "The Light People" was not excitement enough Leftie asked to get his picture taken with Santa. Not too many shopping malls are smart enough to let a Miniature Donkey sit on Santa's lap so we carried Leftie to Petsmart. Santa was so happy to see Leftie, he even asked him if he could help pull his sleigh Christmas Eve. Of course, Leftie had to decline because he could not bear to be away from his donkey family at WolfHeart. You see he tells the story of Christmas to the young donkeys on Christmas Eve.
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So Christmas came and went but Leftie's schedule did not slow down. He got a call to from some local duck hunters. They needed Leftie to guide them on a duck hunt. Although Leftie carries a few duck calls, he really can imitate a duck with his unique bray. The group he guided most recently happened to be a pretty prominent group of hunters that included a lawyer, a pilot, a judge and a boat captain. Leftie took the money he earned guiding and put it in the bank. He is saving money for his trip to Canada in July.
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