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  • Miniature Donkeys, owned by Debbie and Randy Smith and their nephew Ethan Allen, look for a handout Friday as they gather near the edge of the pasture where they graze. The Smiths have owned the animals for the past six years and have a sign posted on a fence row telling one story of Easter, The Donkey’s Cross. KANDACE MCCOY/REGISTER-NEWS

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April 10, 2009

The Donkey's Cross

By KANDACE MCCOY

kandace.mccoy@register-news.com

BONNIE — For Debbie Smith, her miniature donkeys are her pets. But they also tell an Easter story.

Debbie said she started buying miniature donkeys after a visit from a gentleman at her home who informed her he and his wife raised them.

“We went down there and I bought one,” she explained, “but donkeys are herd animals and don’t do well by themselves, so I bought another one.”

Along with nephew Ethan Allen, the Smiths own a total of 10 miniature donkeys.

“I love them. They’re really sweet — from the day they’re born,” Debbie said. “I have a neighbor who lives across the field. She has had cancer and she goes out and feeds them carrots. She says when she has a bad day, she goes out and feeds them.”

“They’re a lot different from horses. You can’t turn the lights on because they know when it’s time to eat,” he joked.

But in addition to her affection for her animals, Debbie also has an interest in the story of the Donkey’s Cross, which she has had painted on a sign near the fence row where her donkeys graze.

In the story, a young donkey was brought to Jesus to carry him to Jerusalem; a week later, his crucifixion was ordered. Though the donkey wanted to help Jesus carry the cross, he was pushed away. Saddened, the donkey waited to say good-bye until all had left, and when he turned away to leave, the shadow of the cross fell upon his back and shoulders.

“The donkey is the only animal in the Bible that God lets speak,” Debbie said. “So I like to find anything about donkeys in the Bible. Every one of them [here] have the cross on their back, so I think that’s pretty neat.”

It’s also not unusual for drivers in the area to stop by to gaze at the animals and read the story of the Donkey’s Cross.

“There is always someone stopping by and looking at them,” Randy Smith said.

“We’ll have a lot of people come by or if I go somewhere, they say, ‘You have the donkeys,’” Debbie said.

And if you try to purchase one from her, she’s adamant in her response.

“I can’t stand to part with them.”

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