Necessity is the mother of invention, as the saying goes. But sometimes it works in reverse. Invention can be the mother of necessity. In other words, sometimes you don’t even know you need something until you see it for the first time. (Anybody remember the days before cell phones?)
For Sweetheart the donkey, that day came when she first laid eyes on a cart. You see, Cowboy the horse has been working on driving-training with a cart. And to Sweetheart, that seemed like a fine way to pass the time … especially when she was bored with school days as usual.
As some of you may remember, Best Friends staffer Jackie Mawhinney has been working with Sweetheart on some basic obedience skills. These skills are taught through a series of games that are normally quite fun for the animal. Maybe the whole plan was rigged from the word go. "Hmmm…" Sweetheart must’ve thought, "These are called ‘horsemanship’ games. … I’m no horse!"
So it went that Sweetheart didn’t exactly feel like doing her homework. She was the type of student who would rather flop down in the middle of lessons for a nap than try to pay attention. And while Jackie was willing to keep at it as long as it took, she also wondered if there might be a better way to spend some quality time with Sweetheart.
An interesting side note, Jackie has two donkeys at home and both of them enjoy pulling carts. Add to the mix the fact that Sweetheart has been eyeing Cowboy’s newfangled cart, and Jackie decided to drop the school approach in favor of some driving-training exercises. It would accomplish the same thing: exercise, mental stimulation, and so forth, but might be something Sweetheart would actually want to try. So she brought her cart from home and hoped for the best.
Jackpot! Guess Sweetheart is more of a hands-on gal than a textbook type, because she immediately latched on to the driving concept. She pulled Jackie in the cart as if she’d been doing it for years. Nowadays they can be seen traveling around the sanctuary and chewing up the roadside.
One little detail, though, that Sweetheart has worked into the equation. She doesn’t do uphill. Flat ground, no problem. Downhill? She’s your girl. But even the slightest incline — though she’s plenty healthy and strong — and Sweetheart opts out, thank you very much. They have to unhitch or else turn around. Hey, she’s still a donkey. She reserves the right to be stubborn! Besides, the way she sees it, two out of three ain’t bad.
Story by David Dickson
Photos by Gary Kalpakoff
Falling in love with Sweetheart’s spirited ways? This excelling student is available for adoption.
For those who are unable to take in Sweetheart the sweetheart, sponsorship is available.
