Henry the donkey is living the good life. He spends his days outside in the company of two horses, a donkey and a pony. He spends his nights in his private abode, a shed adjacent to the red barn where his fellow equines sleep.
Henry was the solitary occupant of his former pasture at Dave Barney’s farm on Everett Road. But he was getting older, and Dave wanted to find a new home for him with other animals and shelter from the elements.
Henry had become something of a celebrity on Everett Road. Walkers knew him by name and cars sometimes slowed down to watch him for a minute or two. That’s according to former Courier editor, the late Jane Paley Price, who visited the donkey on daily walks with her neighbor, Bill Diamond. Jane also wrote about Henry in her feature articles and columns.
Jane and Bill visited Henry more than 870 days in succession during the pandemic and aftermath, and they got to be his friends, according to Jane’s article about him at the time. He responded by “bugling and braying” when they approached.
No wonder. They came with daily treats of apples and carrots. After Dave let them know that sugar isn’t good for donkeys, and that Henry was putting on too much weight, they switched to a healthy “salad bowl” of fresh greens.
You can read about Henry’s checkup and pedicure in Jane’s article Henry Gets a Check-up. A prolific writer about Easton, nature, animals and farms, Jane had an enthusiastic following of readers who looked forward to her stories, which she crafted with her signature humor and ingenuity.
Jane died last November after a courageous battle with ovarian cancer. You can read more about her in a tribute written by her Courier colleagues, So Long, Friend.
Henry’s Rehome
Henry was getting older and would benefit from the companionship of other animals and shelter. A friend of Jane’s is a neighbor of Adele O’Kane, who owns a small private farm on Bibbins Road. The neighbor called Adele one day to say that Dave was trying to rehome his donkey. Adele agreed to take him. She’s had him for just under two months.
“Donkeys are herd animals,” she said. “It’s working out well. I’m glad I have him. He’s playful and also a little fresh.”
Adele said she has used behavior modification to train Henry to let her into his shed to change the hay without always begging for a snack.
Bill has been to visit him in his new digs, and so has Larry Price, Jane’s husband. “Jane would be very pleased to see the marked improvement in Henry’s circumstances,” Larry said.
Adele didn’t know Jane but wants to read her popular young adult book, “Hooper Finds a Family,” which is available at the Easton Public Library.
Verne Gay, president of Citizens for Easton, mentioned Henry and Hooper in the tribute article he wrote about Jane, Remembering My Friend Jane.
As with humans, some equines like each other and some not so much. Such is the case with Adele’s horses, pony and with Henry.
Ruffles, a Hunt Club Horse Show pony Adele adopted for her infant granddaughter to ride when she gets older, loves Henry and wants to be near him all the time.
Henry may be the apple of Ruffles’ eye, but as for Henry, he would rather have one of the apples Bill and Jane used to bring him on their walks. They tasted so good!
