Lafayette Donkey Who Was Abandoned Will Get a New Home

(Lafayette, LA) - The Lafayette Animal Shelter and Care Clinic has a love story about a donkey to share that has a wonderful ending. A once-abandoned donkey, found on a road in Duson, now has a new loving place to call home.

A sweet gray donkey was found roaming alone on a Lafayette Parish Street in Duson and was taken in by the Lafayette Animal Shelter and Care Clinic. The search began for the donkey's owners, but unfortunately, shelter director Shelley Delahousaye, the chip in the animal, reached a number that was no longer valid.

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Sadly, some animal-chipping companies have gone out of business, so it's impossible to find the owners of animals with these chips.

Delahousaye says they searched for the standard ten-day period to find the rightful owner, but no one came forward to claim him. We don't know which company it was, but in 2024, another company shut down.

Delahousaye says they were able to spay the animal, and while information about him on social media made him somewhat locally famous, he wasn't claimed. We shared a story about him when this happened.

What ended up happening was beautiful. Several people came forward, saying they would be happy to add the animal to their homes, and now that has happened.

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The donkey will be adopted by Katelyn Stiel, who already owns several other large animals and has plenty of room for them to roam, according to KLFY. She told them,

I have another donkey at home and other large animals, so I’d been looking for another donkey for a while. I mean, I got excited… he’s super cute and needed a home. I’m excited for my other donkey to have a brother, so I’m really excited about that.

In the interim, the donkey is being cared for by Cynthiana Farms, where Andre Delahoussaye says they are helping the donkey adjust to handling and are taking care of him until all the details of the adoption are finalized.

Delahoussaye says he was really nervous when he first arrived at the farm, but has since started adjusting nicely. Delahoussaye told KLFY,

When he first got here, he was scared. But after all the people in the barn, we just put hands on him every day like you’re supposed to and handled him properly. He’s calmed down a lot. He has a long way to go. But with Miss Kate… he’ll be fine.

It's a beautiful ending about a beautiful donkey who will be loved at his new home.