Social Media Loves Cash, the Donkey House Pet

Pet Travel & Boarding [email protected] December 18, 2024 0 Comments

Social Media Loves Cash, the Donkey House Pet

November 15, 2024
• Trends • Rescue
• by Elise Phillips Margulis

ab0c018a-c6aa-4afb-8185-fe72d9cc1682__medium Social Media Loves Cash, the Donkey House Pet

Sara Weldon and her fiancé Rick live on a small hobby farm in central Florida with a variety of animals. One of their donkeys, Emma, gave birth to a black foal seven months ago and rejected him. When Sara and Rick saw Emma kicking her newborn baby, they grabbed him and brought him into their house. They named him Cash after Johnny Cash because of his color.

Social media viewers enjoy watching Cash roaming around inside and trotting outside. One of his signature gags is running by people and animals and kicking them as he passes. He also likes to play with the other donkeys.

Sara shared examples of how Cash is basically one of their dogs in a donkey suit. “Cash is very similar to the dogs. I believe he thinks he is half dog/half human. Our dogs are livestock guardian dogs, and Cash loves to ‘work’ with them. When they run off to a corner of the farm after something, Cash runs with them only he has no clue what he is running after. It’s hilarious to watch. When they are all inside, they love to snuggle with Rick as he lies on the floor, and Cash gets right in on it.”

Sara talked about Cash’s new appreciation for human food. “Recently he has discovered how much he enjoys our food, especially veggies. He’s just gotten tall enough to counter surf, so whenever we cook or are eating, he sniffs out what’s around.”

At seven months old, Cash weighs 105 pounds. “He still gets a bottle twice a day, he doesn’t need one but it’s more out of comfort for both of us. It’s such a sweet time,” said Sara. She added, “He also grazes on grass and eats hay and a small amount of grain.” The bottle is the method they use to help Cash relax when humans visit. According to Sara, “When he meets a stranger, he tries to show off and gets a bit wild. I find the best solution is to bring him inside and let the newcomer feed him a bottle, it calms him right down.”

Many people told Sara that Cash’s story was amazing and worthy of a book and a Disney film. She reported, “One of my friends/employees is a famous illustrator and he urged me to do it and offered to illustrate it. It was an incredible process watching it come to life!” She continued, “The pictures are just spectacular and capture the story beautifully.” The book is called “Cash The Baby Donkey: A Story of Love and Resilience”

Sara stated, “Since Cash was born, I have become painfully aware of what happens to many donkeys through traders and auctions.” She discovered Peaceful Pastures Rescue, which she rated the best donkey rescue organization. Sara donates a portion of her book sales to them and plans to move to bigger farm to start her own donkey rescue.

Cash recently suffered from an impaction in his intestines. Sara shared, “It was super scary, we thought we were going to lose him. Thankfully we have an incredible equine hospital that brought him back to health.”

Sara called Cash a walking miracle. “He has survived the odds and continues to do so. There is something special about Cash that has gotten the world to fall in love with him. He inspires others and provides them hope. He is one being that unites us all.”