When Jennifer Renn Hudock was asked to rehome a 7-month-old miniature donkey, she wasn’t sure how the new addition would get along with the rest of her “herd.”
That’s because Wendell the donkey’s previous owners said that Wendell didn’t like humans or dogs.
Well, that turned out to be only partly true… and just at first! The only person that Wendell would allow near him at first was Oakley, Jennifer’s pitbull.
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“I didn’t know how that was going to work with the rest of my herd but Oakley’s personality is that he loves everybody,” Jennifer explained. “He’s going to make sure that everyone is going to love him. Oakley didn’t care that Wendell was a different species. Oakley ran right up to him in his face like, ‘Hey, who are you? I live here too. Let’s play.”
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Wendell wouldn’t let Jennifer even touch his ears or face.
“From the very beginning, Oakley would lick Wendell’s face and his ears,” Jennifer told The Dodo. “And Wendell would let him.”
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Now the two are best friends.
Oakley rushes down to the barn to see Wendell every morning.
“Oakley cannot get down to the barn fast enough.”
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The two of them will then eat breakfast together.
That means that Wendell will toss some of the oats out of his bucket and onto the floor so that Oakley can have some to eat.
After breakfast, the two of them head outside to start their day. And it’s a busy day full of zoomie competitions and playtime.
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“When I bring a new animal into my home I kind of let everyone sort it out on their own,” Jennifer explains. “I don’t make a big deal out of separating them, I let them get an understanding of each other. There’s no pressure, it’s very peaceful.”
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Jennifer admits that their close bond was quite a surprise to her.
“When they started playing I didn’t know how unusual it was for that type of friendship to blossom between the two of them,” she said. “The playfulness is instigated by Oakley because she has so much energy.”
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It always starts with Oakley running around, then Wendell joining in until they end up in a competition to see who can run faster.
“They were like 2-year-old toddlers chasing each other around to see who can one-up another,” Jennifer explains.
The only problem is that Wendell can’t go underneath fences as Oakley can.
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Jennifer delights in seeing how much the “donkey that didn’t like people or dogs” has changed.
“I think they both felt safe to just be who they are. These two buddies, they both accepted each other,” Jennifer said. “It doesn’t matter what they do, they just love to be together.”
Jennifer says that the bond these two have brought tears to her eyes.
“They are love and innocence.”
Check out these two cuties in action in the video below.
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