We just can’t handle the cuteness of the Donegal Donkey Sanctuary

Meet the adorable Quiney, who has dreamed of becoming one of the famous Glebeview Clydesdale horses all his life but was coming up a little bit short.

He’d tried everything, constantly practicing his walk and even adding some hair extensions to his legs so he would look more like the famous Clydesdales but all to no avail.

In came the Donegal Donkey Sanctuary, which has as its mission looking after the best interests of suffering or abandoned Irish donkeys, and they made the lovely Quiney’s wish come true.

Dear Donkey Video from Gavin McDaid on Vimeo.

The Donegal Donkey Sanctuary officially opened in 2007. The sanctuary came about thanks to the kind and loving nature of Donegal couple Sandra and Danny Curran. Taking in a poor donkey that was found tied to a scrapped car in the bog, the couple soon found themselves taking in more and more donkeys that had no other home to go to.

In the end, with the numbers of animals in their care reaching the twenties, they set about establishing their unofficial sanctuary into a more organized entity and so the Donegal Donkey Sanctuary was born!

Read more: Victory for NYC horse and carriage drivers as de Blasio’s latest deal falls apart

The Sanctuary takes on donkeys that have suffered years of abuse and neglect or those from loving families who can no longer afford to look after them or are otherwise incapable of keeping the donkeys themselves. The Sanctuary has grown dramatically in the past nine years with Danny working full-time and Sandra acting as lead volunteer.

Help is always appreciated, of course, and you can adopt or foster one of the gentle animals in their care by providing a small regular donation in return for as many visits to the the donkey at the sanctuary as your heart desires.

The organization is also looking to move into larger grounds as the number of animals continues to grow. They hope to raise $1,102,700 (€1,000,000) through the “Dear Donkey” competition. By sending in a donation and explaining to the sanctuary what you would love to spend the prize money on – something special for your family, or paying off your mortgage, for example – you are entered with the chance to win 50 percent of any donations they receive throughout the competition. Quiney would certainly recommend it!

Quiney is not the only donkey that you can see at the sanctuary, however. Here are some of the other characters that keep their carers on their toes:

Jill: Trying out her modelling hoofs here, the beautiful Little Jill is a massive fan of gingernut biscuits.

Bubbles: A fan of the (rare) summer sun, how could you ever resist this face!

Binky: A beautiful, white, fluffy, donkey who is a great hit with kids and adults with special needs, Binky holds the distinction of having been the only donkey to ever walk across the ‘Peace Bridge’ in nearby Derry as part of a Christmas nativity scene.

Zeta: Fond of a nice sit down in the sun, poor Zeta was abandoned in a very bad condition at the gates of the sanctuary. She is gradually regaining her strength and enjoying her new happy and healthy life.

Poppy: Arriving the the sanctuary after losing a little foal immediately on delivery, Poppy had a long road to recovery after vets discovered her overgrown back teeth were preventing her from eating properly. She is now back in good health and continuing to improve.

You can find out more about "Dear Donkey" here.