Rufus is Here!

The big day - the day of Rufus's arrival in his new home, was Monday.  I took off work so I could be there for his arrival and visit with the friends who brought him to us from nearly two hours away.  Brandon and I weren't sure what kind of beast we were going to meet, and wondered if it was going to be a miniature rodeo to unload a wild bucking bronco.  Thankfully, Rufus was calm and collected.  He stood still in the animal carrier while we tried to fit a halter on his face, and then with a little nudge walked right into the fence and into the shed.  Whew!   Welcome home.  

Rufus is a miniature donkey, and he's barely a year old.  His back only comes hip high.  So far, the fence we built seems to be more than enough to keep him safe and contained.

Rufus, you better start eating right away, because it looks like you could get lost in all that green!

Rufus says hello!

Wendigo thinks Rufus would be great fun to play with, and shows little fear of him.  I don't know Rufus very well yet, but he seems to be interested in Wendigo and more tolerant than I would be to have a puppy yap at my nose.

I sneaked up on them to check out how they were getting along and made the short video above.

Puck doesn't get the same calm response from Rufus that Wendigo does.  Rufus gets very alert when Puck is near, and is quick to approach him with a worried expression.  The one time Puck disobeyed me and entered Rufus's stall, it didn't go well for any of us.  Puck cavalierly walked up to Rufus for a nose sniff, and Rufus bopped him on the head with his front foot.  I heard the impact!  Puck didn't run away, but growled and snapped, which made Rufus try to kick him again.  I got a little excited and stepped between them to try to push Puck back out of the stall.  So he growled at me!  Poor Rufus tried to escape by crawling through a gap in the fence, which he definitely does not fit through.  We all had to take a break to calm down.  Hopefully Puck learned to respect Rufus's space.  I learned that if Rufus is freaked out, he doesn't bite or kick at me when I use my body as a dog shield. Good to know, right?    

Rufus has pretty eyes, and long eye lashes.

He also has a long funny nose, and chin whiskers.  He likes to be petted on the forehead, especially if I'm on the other side of the gate.  If I stand next time him, he's a little more skittish.  He likes to be brushed on his neck and back, but only if he doesn't see the brush.  I didn't realize I purchased such a scary looking brush!