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October 2024 by Bradley Earl Charles Foster
We stopped by Longhopes for a tour today and despite our mistake in being an hour late we were treated so well, welcomed in and given the full, wonderful experience with grace and generosity.
The Donkeys are demonstrably well cared for and genuinely loved - talking with Kathy Dean today it is clear how deep Longhopes is committed to these wonderful donkeys.
Absolutely worth the short journey out of the city, a definite to-do for any animal lover looking to connect with some like minded people and affectionate donkeys :)
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September 2024 by G. E. Rosero
I had the pleasure of visiting and touring the Long Hopes Donkey Shelter for the first time, and it was a wonderful experience. The cleanliness of the facilities and the care provided to the donkeys truly stood out. It was clear that the staff, especially CJ, our knowledgeable guide, are passionate about what they do. I asked numerous questions, and CJ always had thoughtful, informative answers. The entire team, including the volunteers, clearly love the animals, and it shows in the way the donkeys are treated. I left with a much deeper understanding of these gentle creatures. Overall, it’s an experience worth having, and I highly recommend it to anyone interested in learning more about donkeys or simply spending time in a well-run, compassionate animal shelter.
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July 2024 by Jesse J
What an awesome place! We did a tour here and got to hang out and meet all of the donkeys. They are all so sweet and the staff working are all super friendly and informative! It's awesome that a place like this exists for the donkeys. I highly recommend you check this place out :)
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July 2024 by Kelly Gallegos
What an amazing place! The Donkeys are taken care of so well by the team!
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June 2024 by Heather Merkle
Got to do a tour at Longhopes with a group of friends, and it was a great experience! Victoria was an amazing guide, and we learned so much about donkeys while giving them sweet pets. The facility was clean and super well kept. The donkeys were friendly and seemed really happy. Definitely would recommend!
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June 2024 by Tracy Reed
This is such a special place. I did a private tour with a group today with Victoria and learned all about each donkey's story and the operations of this shelter. The shelter is SO clean and the operation is really advanced. Victoria was an amazing and passionate guide. The donkey's are so sweet and I def cried learning their stories and then also learning how well taken care of and safe they are now at the shelter. Highly recommend visiting!
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June 2024 by Adam Engbring
Friendly staff and great tour!
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June 2024 by Paul Sosnowski
So educational, second time visit, close up and personal. Each donkey has it's own personality.
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June 2024 by Wendy B
Long ago we selected Longhopes Donkey Shelter from among all we researched online for re-homing our own donkeys in the event of an emergency. Yet it was only recently, after our elderly donkeys finally passed away that we were free to travel to see it. We were utterly wowed by the incredibly warm welcome and thoroughly professional operation we found.
Kathy Dean, the Longhopes founder, has dedicated her life to the Longhopes mission which is clearly spelled out above. Read the Longhopes Mission Statement to understand all they do to promote donkey welfare, provide a safe landing place for donkeys in urgent need, and educate donkey owners in order to prevent the need for rescue in the first place.
From Kathy herself to her excellent staff—notably Stacey who very graciously gave us a late-day tour, and Victoria the Executive Director, as well as the many amazing volunteers—we experienced the warmest of welcomes. We were bowled over by their exuberant love for and steadfast dedication to every donkey in their care. The donkeys were bright-eyed and curious; social with us and/or each other; or happily busy at various feeding stations or scratching posts (street sweeper brushes set on end); or at sunning themselves in close proximity to their bonded partner. We met many wonderful volunteers as they bustled about, cleaning corrals, preparing individualized meals, or quietly brushing, talking to and generally providing comfort and company to donkey residents.
A big, airy office-gift shop was our delight to peruse. We piled the checkout counter high, telling ourselves “it’s all for a good cause!”
Longhopes is a wonderful first stop for anyone contemplating adding donkeys to their life It is also an amazing resource for any current or future donkey owner. For anyone looking to adopt a donkey, you couldn’t pick a better source; Kathy gave me valuable insight I wish I’d had much earlier, following the loss of our own elderly donkeys. Not only does Longhopes have many bright-eyed donkeys of all ages available for adoption, they will provide education and support to make sure the adoption is a success.
A scheduled visit to—or better yet one of the regularly-scheduled tours of—the incredibly well-run Longhopes Donkey Shelter, with its many gentle, long-eared, soft-lipped denizens would lift anyone’s spirit!
Longhopes is a hearty 5-star “recommend” on our map. We look forward to our next visit when we’ll bring our best, no longer-needed donkey-related care items where they can again be put to good use.
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June 2024 by Megan Back
We had such a great time and learned so much on our tour of your facility. Melanie is so knowledgeable. We are so impressed with the care and commitment you all provide your fabulous group of animals.
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February 2024 by CR Henk
This is such a well run shelter for donkeys. They provide hospice care & adoption services. We visit pretty much every month. If you’re looking for an animal charity please consider this one. It is very deserving of your donations!!
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February 2024 by Peggy Henke
What a fun place! The donkeys are so cute, they each have their own little personalities. An amazing experience!
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February 2024 by Jonathan Evans
Did the tour. They have so much love for their donkeys here and it was great getting to meet, pet, and hug each and every one!
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January 2024 by claes lindholm
Thank You for doing so much for these animals, I've never met a donkey IRL, but reading about Your work with them, makes me love them - and You- eventuellt more, says Claes in Stockholm, Sweden
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December 2023 by Jim Decker
I came across LongHopes by accident on InstaGram. I'm a dog person (rescues) and had no knowledge that there was such a thing as donkey rescue. As I read and learned about LongHopes I became very interested in donkeys (who knew?) and decided to consider becoming a sponsor. So which donkey? Then I found Otis. I had recently become friends with a neighbor dog named Otis and decided there was positive karma in a donkey named Otis. So I signed up. Every day I look forward to hearing how things are going and today, as I read the current newsletter, I decided to make an additional donation beyond sponsoring. Their work is so very important and if I lived nearby I'd become a volunteer. So the next best thing is to help them with money and very best wishes. Keep up the work you do, the donkey's love you and so do WE! :)
