He just followed me home

Yesterday's little excitement is very typical in my life.  I swear animals recognize on sight that I have a soft spot for them and they communicate this through each other across the area, maybe across the world!  It's how I've ended up with most of the animals I have already.  I really would not be shocked to go to the other side of the earth and have some animal come right up to me asking for some kind of help.  It's like a big animal Underground Railroad.

"When you get out head to central Texas and look for this place overgrown with cedars and follow the gravel road.  The paint was peeling last time I heard and there was a van out by the workshop waiting to be fixed.  It don't look like much but that's cuz they spend all their money on pet food and toys and treats and they'll letcha in the house...yeah right up into the house!!  There's a/c, soft places to lay..."

Lately our son Stephen has become a real couch potato.  After a little incident he's grounded from playing video games so what's a child to do?  Apparently he believes the logical choice is to spend all day in front of the tv instead.  W-R-O-N-G!!!  I didn't bother to go into my speech about playing outside with friends at his age, swimming, bike riding, having to practically be dragged indoors in the evening and just told him to go get some exercise of some sort for heaven's sake.  He came back a good while later red faced and sweaty.

Stephen: "I found a donkey."

Me: "You did a what because of who now?"

Stephen: "I found a donkey!  It followed me home!"

I knew it had happened again so I just heaved a sigh, asked him to go grab a halter and horse cookies, and went to see what kind of pitiful stray we had this time when he shouted from out back, "he's back here!"  Sure enough when I went around back there was a little donkey cozying up to the horses!  He was a friendly enough little fellow who let us halter him after leading us through the thickest part of brush he could find.  He followed on the lead just fine, happily took cookies from us, and let us pet him.  I had to admit that he was a nice little guy and cute as could be.

We took him round to a few neighbors with no luck then decided it was too darn hot for a foot search of his owners.  He seemed content enough to be put up in our pen with some fresh water, hay, and a handful of Strategy at first.  I watched him while Eric went to talk to more neighbors.  The horses all crowded the fenceline wanting to see him but he calmly investigated his surroundings then told me by trying to paw down the gate that he'd like to see the rest of the pasture.  By that time the horses had lost interest so I just shrugged and let him out.  Traveler chased him off their hay pile once just to let him know who was boss but then everyone was fine. 

Thank goodness Eric did find his owner who came later that evening to pick him up because after spending all afternoon sitting outside petting and playing with him I had him named Buddy.  It turns out Buddy is actually Benny.  We waved goodbye to Benny.  "Come back to visit sometime but not anytime soon!"  I miss the lil guy.