Fall Parade (part 2)

Following the Maclear's Rats, a more lighthearted animal group followed. Along the pavement the click of hooves echo. The so called donkey brigade is making its way down the route. The clicking of their hooves is a soothing sound against the bitter cold of fall. Red and orange leaves blanket the pavement causing the sounds to muffle in some places. While the donkeys are typically friendly, some are better than others. A loud bray echos off the stone announcing their arrival. A commotion occurs as one of the donkeys decides to pull on its lead, rearing up and bumping into another one which reaches over to snap at it. Of course the one causing the problems would be arguably... the loudest... of the donkeys.

Yell'n Hellen certainly lives up to her name. She is always hollering at anyone and anything. Her coat is a standard brown that people often expect from a donkey. The black striping down her back and on her legs stands out against the brown. Full of opinions, she stubbornly pulls against her halter and tries to get loose. The keeper handling her sure has their work cut out. She will never make their life easy. They try to keep her away from the barriers knowing while she is a good donkey to look at, she would not take kindly to the guests interaction. The donkey who she ran into was grouchster, who also wasn't a fan of the guests. Grouchster also lives up to her name, trying to bite at anyone who gets too close. Her black coat with lighter accents stands out against the others. The jenny pinned her large ears at Yell'n Hellen and the keepers around her as she reluctantly follows the route. The sooner she finishes, the sooner she gets her grain after all.

The white boys are relatively calm as they walk along the fence lines. Eeps has always been the calmer of the two, after all Dryer Sheet has Yell'n Hellen as a mother. The white jack holds his ears back in a relaxed manner as he gently peers over to guests. He has always been gentle and welcomes the people reaching over the barriers to touch him. His white coat is smooth with silky ears and nose. He gently nickers at the current hand reaching towards him as he bumps it with his nose. He has a halter on but no lead as a keeper carefully watches and guides him while allowing the gentle boy to interact freely. Dryer sheet on the other hand, might be a bit of a chaotic calm. He also welcomes the attention, but needs to be managed more carefully. Like Eeps, Big Boi has always been a gentle presence. The draft mule holds the heart of the keepers. A rare case, he had been able to be bred producing some lovely foals to be shared among other zoos to help establish a gentle presence in their petting zoos. His chestnut coat shone in the sun as a leaf falls onto his ear. Gentle as ever, he doesnt even flinch his ear. Its obvious why he is such a beloved addition to the donkey brigade. He freely wanders behind all the donkeys, pacing from fence to fence. Always reaching for guests to pet him.

The chaos of the donkeys always brings a joy to any event they are part of. It always proves to be an adventure gathering the giant personalities together. While three of the equines tend to be good with guests, the two jennies are always an adventure with their personalities. The keepers following the donkey brigade shake their heads knowing how much chaos is ahead of them the rest of the route.