John Henry was a neglected 19-year-old mammoth donkey that had lived for a decade in a very small lot with no hoof care, painful arthritis and minimal food. It was defenseless creatures like this who inspired Aimee Guidetti to launch Dahlonega Healing Herds Sanctuary (DHHS) in 2021 with the mission to rescue and rehabilitate donkeys in need, as well as educate the public about donkeys’ therapeutic value to humans.
“He had spent 10 years of his life in a tiny stall so packed with manure, he was reaching the roof,” Guidetti said. “No hoof care in a decade. His hoofs were so long and twisted that the years of standing on them had made a deformity in his tendons. He could barely walk. He was skin and bones.”
Aimee and her husband Jim found John, their first rescue, shortly after starting the sanctuary, and, after giving him proper hoof care, arthritis medication and all the food he wants, he is “safe and sound and living his best life,” Guidetti said.
“We got him back to the sanctuary, and our work began,” she said, wistfully admitting John is her favorite of the 17 donkeys residing there. “He is spoiled rotten, truth be known.”
To the Rescue
Guidetti’s love for donkeys bloomed in childhood, when her grandparents on both sides of her family kept mules and donkeys in Dahlonega.
“The barn was the first place I would run to when we would visit,” she said. “[When] COVID shut down the world, I had suffered a tremendous loss in my family, with my grandmother’s passing and my father’s diagnosis with dementia, and I stumbled into a deep depression. I told my husband I wanted two mini donkeys. I wanted something that could take my mind off things. He agreed, and it was not long until he fell in love with the donkeys. That is when it all started.”
After buying her two miniatures, Toby and Dobby — the official DHHS mascots — in August 2021, Guidetti said she went to YouTube to learn as much as she could about them and stumbled onto the topic of donkey skin trade, where nearly six million donkeys are killed for their skin worldwide each year.
“I was horrified, to say the least,” she said. “I would dwell on it at night. I wanted the world to know. So how could I do my part in trying to help them? I would start a donkey sanctuary/rescue and education facility. It all started with my first rescue, John Henry. I am a hairdresser for my day job, and I had a client come in telling me about this old starving donkey. My husband and I went and picked him up three days later.”
Calling donkeys “a misunderstood and overlooked animal,” Guidetti said she and her husband wanted to provide a place of love and respect where abused, neglected and unwanted donkeys could roam in rolling pastures and bask in the warm sunshine as they healed from the physical and emotional wounds of their past.
“I am not sure of the exact amount of 501(c)(3) nonprofit organizations (in the United States) specifically designed for donkeys, but there are very few compared to other rescues, such as dogs, cats, horses, etc.,” she said.
Their four-legged residents have a permanent home on the couple’s 10-acre facility and are provided with food, shelter and veterinarian and farrier care. The Guidettis live on the property and are with the donkeys 24/7.
Healing Hearts and Building Bonds
Donkeys in need find their way to the sanctuary through calls Guidetti receives from the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, animal control and law enforcement officers, owner surrenders and word-of-mouth. Most come from North Georgia, though a few are from out of state.
“The first thing we do when we bring a new donkey home is to put them in our quarantine paddock,” Guidetti said. “There, they will receive food, water and shelter. The vet will come in and do an exam and all their shots, along with a farrier for the hoofs. After that, they will decompress. Each donkey is different, so time and patience is a factor with these precious animals. Once we feel like they are comfortable with the herd, we will introduce them to each other, and then they become a full-time resident for our visitors to meet.”
Guidetti said one of their residents, a miniature named Norma Jean, was separated from her bonded mate by someone who was flipping auction animals.
“Once a donkey has bonded with another donkey, it is for life,” she said. “They are like swans. Her and her bonded mate were bought at an auction. To make more money, somebody decided to split the pair and sell them separately. Norma Jean’s bonded mate was sold to one person, and she was sold to another. I was contacted about her and was able to get her here to the sanctuary. We also found out she is a special-needs donkey, as she can only walk and cannot run because she will stumble and fall. She has what I call ‘broken bond syndrome.’ She was scared, depressed, confused and ripped away from her life partner. I have had her two years now, and she has just started to take treats from my hand. Some donkeys will take longer to rehabilitate, as each one and circumstance is so very different. Time and patience is one of our greatest healers.”
Guidetti’s minis, Toby and Dobby, are a bonded pair, but the sanctuary also has others. Charlie, a mammoth donkey, and Amos, a standard donkey, were loved by a previous owner who had to find them a good home when health issues prevented her from caring for them any longer.
Matilda and Janie were auction leftovers found in a Mississippi kill pen by another rescuer. Janie was a 4-month-old baby that had to be bottle-fed after her mother died. Matilda was a 6-year-old heavily bred female. When they found each other, they immediately bonded, as Matilda adopted Janie as her own. They were sent to a home in Blue Ridge but ended up at DHHS after their owner hurt her back and could no longer care for them.
Bo didn’t have a mate when the Guidettis found him. He was the only jack (intact male) donkey living with a herd of cattle that he didn’t like. Because he hated his surroundings, he charged the cows and ran them through fences, which led him to a solitary life in a single stall. The couple was contacted about him and went to get him and bring him to his forever home, where he could live with his own kind. After he was gelded and introduced to the other donkeys at the sanctuary, he became a loving, affectionate member of the family.
Education is Key
In addition to rescuing and rehabilitating donkeys, the Guidettis also want to educate the public about the importance of these four-legged friends and their value as therapy animals that provide companionship, comfort and support for people with depression and autism.
“The sanctuary has been making an impact with the community, such as taking our donkeys to visit retirement communities and the residents there,” Guidetti said. “We offer visits and tours for homeschoolers and day cares and also field trips. We offer community service for those needing to work off hours. And soon we will be offering special programs with equine therapy for depression, addiction and autism. We have big plans for our future and our community.”
As a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, the sanctuary depends on financial support from generous donors, as well as volunteers, to provide care for these gentle and intelligent animals that have been loved for centuries.
“Our future plans are to raise enough donations with our sanctuary and educational facility to build a new 20-stall stable so we can begin our adoption facility, where we can go straight to the auctions to rescue donkeys and bring them back to rehabilitate for potential adoptions,” Guidetti said. “When a donkey is not bought at one auction, it can be sent around to many other auctions, and if not sold, that is when the ‘kill buyers’ come out, and that is who we want to stop dead in their tracks.”
Currently, the Guidettis have two volunteers, Dou and Loraine Sharp, along with a number of people working off their community service hours, helping at the sanctuary with the everyday farm chores like sanitation control, cleaning water buckets and organizing tack and food bins. Those with equine experience also help with grooming and hoof care.
The Donkey Sanctuary continues to grow, and welcomes more volunteers to give tender, loving care to these adoring animals. While donkeys are frequently referred to as “beasts of burdens” those who truly get to know them understand how intelligent and sociable they truly are. Open Friday, Saturday and Sunday, by appointment, you can meet Norma Jean, Matilda and the beloved John Henry for yourself and discover the importance of healing these precious herds.
For information on becoming a donor or to volunteer at the sanctuary, please visit healingherds.org, call 770-733-9993 or 706-265-5511 or email [email protected].
