Welcome to Little Longears Miniature Donkey Rescue
Little Longears will be participating in the 2025 Adams County Community Foundation Giving Spree
The event takes place in Gettysburg, PA
We are a Registered 501(c)(3) non-profit charity dedicated to the rescue, rehabilitation and safe sanctuary of abused, neglected or otherwise unwanted donkeys. We also provide a safe haven for owners to surrender their donkeys in the event they are no longer able to care for them.
Little Longears is a working farm and is not open to the public. Our two annual events and the farm tour schedule have been established to give everyone a chance to visit our farm. The dates for the events and the farm tours are fixed for the entire season and must be booked in advance. This policy ensures optimal safety, security, and efficiency for both visitors and farm operations. We appreciate your cooperation and understanding in adhering to this guideline.
We started Little Longears in November 2013 after buying a couple of miniature donkeys as companions for our retired show horses. Those two donkeys, the former owner said, were rescued from an auction. Like many people, we had little awareness of livestock auctions and the plight of unwanted donkeys everywhere. It didn’t take long to discover that there were very few donkey rescues in this country. Although the need is great, resources for donkeys are in short supply.
We took a leap of faith and decided we had everything necessary to be able to help donkeys. Originally, we rescued only miniature donkeys, but the Rescue has grown in every way, including the size of donkeys. Although miniature donkeys remain the focus, there are always some standard donkeys here, and even a few mammoth donkeys (a heritage breed considered the “draft horse” of donkeys).
Our donkeys come from all sorts of places. Many are surrendered to us by owners (owner surrender) who either are unable or unwilling to care for them any longer. Many more come from auctions. We also work with local animal control and law enforcement agencies to take in donkeys with which they need assistance.
To date, we have helped hundreds of donkeys – and don’t plan on stopping any time soon!
A little bit about the founders of Little Longears
Valerie Lowe shares how she went from being an A-circuit hunter/jumper trainer, showing, riding, teaching, and running her own business, to becoming the co-founder and director of Little Longears Miniature Donkey Rescue. Since Val has the lifetime background with horses, Cheryl continually teases her that “donkeys are the smartest member of the equine family”. The debate continues…
Read about Little Longear’s Val Lowe in the August 2016 issue of Practical Horseman.
Cheryl Pokorny is a retired high school PE teacher, and loves all things DIY. Her home renovation skills even landed her on HGTV’s “All American Handyman” in 2011.
For a gift to yourself or others, check out the merchandise at the Little Longears Store!
Donkeys’ Wish List!
- Donkeys LOVE Hay Pillows. We can always use Hay Pillows in the 1 1/4 size mesh.
- We also maintain an Amazon Wish list and a Chewy Wish List for items we frequently need and the donkeys love.
The Dodo followed up on Josie, Jenny & Moses and made this video to show you how far they have come!
The Dodo visited Little Longears and made this awesome video !