However, there are not many left in that area, and import restrictions have been applied. Here in North America, there are over 20,000 registered miniature donkeys and an unknown number of unregistered ones. The original miniature donkey is a true breed of it's native land. The heritage of many of todays miniature donkeys can be traced back to the original Mediterranean stock, which measured 38" and under.

The breed originated in the late 1800's in Germany as a smaller version of the Standard Schnauzer that could live more easily as a house pet but still hunt vermin on the German farms.

The most common color for the miniature donkey is a grey dun with a black "cross" running over their shoulder and down their back. Their underbelly and noses are usually white, although dark noses and points do occur. Donkeys do come in other colours such as spotted, brown, black, sorrel. The brown, black and red, however, are very uncommon colours and highly prized in breeding programs.

In order to register your miniature donkey with the Canadian Donkey and Mule Association, the donkey must be under 36" or less at the shoulder at four years of age. The average height for them is 34", and the smaller they are the more valuable they become. It is important to check the specifications for registration with the different registration organizations, as there are some variations on height restrictions.

Miniature donkeys get along with goats, sheep, horses, cats, dogs, llamas...all it takes is common sense. For example the miniature donkey makes a superior guard animal for sheep goats, and llamas, herding them and protecting them from predators. While they can go in the same pasture or pen with those animals, it is not wise to put them in with larger animals such as horses and cattle, as they may injure your donkey. It is best to let them be in adjacent pastures.

No, miniature donkeys cannot be house pets. They are livestock and as such require a barn or three sided shelter to give them protection from the elements. While they might like to come and visit you on your front steps, they cannot (to our knowledge) be housetrained so you would set yourself up for some very large messes!

Everyone who meets a miniature donkey wants one of their own! Donkey owners come from all walks of life and include doctors, lawyers, executives, housewives, children, farmers, retired people, and investors to name just a few. Because donkeys are easy to care for, they make an ideal animal for anyone to own.

The most important thing is not to overfeed miniatures. You should be able to feel but not see the donkeys ribs. In the summer months access to grass will probably need to be restricted. In the winter months a diet of barley straw and some meadow hay is likely to be sufficient. Access to a mineral lick, or feeding a good-quality general purpose supplement is advisable. Carrots and apples may be fed as treats. Chop into slices that could not choke the donkey.

You are very welcome to visit our stud by prior appointment. If you contact the MMDA (see above) they may be able to give you the name of a breeder or owner near to you who might be happy to show you around their donkeys. You could also try attending a donkey show. The secretary is likely to be able to tell you if miniature donkeys are attending.

Ages 2 through 102. My wife, Jinny, always proclaimed donkeys were specially designed for grandparents and grandchildren.

No. Those negative traits in the donkeys you may have known are a result of feral breeding. In contrast, the Mediterranean Miniature has been treasured and selectively bred for centuries. They are naturally affectionate and will return the love extended to them manyfold. They will not "break" as with a horse and choose to follow you as "Alpha Leader" in a trust relationship. Trust is the key to their training.

Donkeys can be groomed like their equine counterparts. Brush them with a stiff brush, going with the direction that the hair grows. Be gentle around their face and ears. To get rid of the shaggy winter coats, you can purchase a shedding blade, or a kitchen block, much like pumice, that is used to clean out wooden stoves. By rubbing it gently on your donkey, it sheds out the old, shaggy hair, leaving a shiny coat in its place. You can buy these stones at any store specializing in wooden stoves.

It is imperative that you are sure you can, and want to, take on the responsibility of owning donkeys before you take the plunge into ownership. Donkeys can live for 50 years and require daily care. The routine care of a donkey may cost around £50 a month and take at least an hour a day, but even a simple veterinary call out is likely to cost in excess of £100, so it is essential that you can meet these demands.

The name comes from the founders of the company, widows and widowers, who found one another in chat rooms on America Online. See also our History page.

While the exact origins of mini horses have been obscured over the centuries, early incunabula texts refer to miniature horses being kept as prized companions of Hapsburg royalty as early as the 17th century. Just as dogs have been bred to be small, centuries of selective breeding have resulted in miniature horses with calm dispositions. Many early American Miniature Horses are extremely small because of the deliberate breeding between the smallest horses available.

The most common colors in donkeys are Gray-dun ( Slate Gray), Brown, and black. There is a variation of sorrel, Ivory (blue-eyed white) and a variant of bay. Some donkeys appear to be nearly white with dark skin - these are Frosted Spotted White. (It's like true gray in horses, the frosted/graying covers up the original color. It's a color combination, an overlay over the base color and any other patterns.

The National Parenting Publications Awards (NAPPA) was founded by L.A. Parent magazine in 1990. The Children's Products division of NAPPA was designed to help parents make the best, most age-appropriate choices in children's books, toys, music, DVDs, software and spoken-word recordings for their children, from newborn to adolescents. In 1998, the Parenting Resources division was added to provide parents with a "short list" of the best products to help raise and educate their children.

Almost all information contained it this FAQ comes from Sascha K. or the KMFDM page at http://www.kmfdm.net

Scientists identified a type of chimpanzee in West Africa as the source of HIV infection in humans. The virus most likely jumped to humans when humans hunted these chimpanzees for meat and came into contact with their infected blood. Over several years, the virus slowly spread across Africa and later into other parts of the world.

Hippocrates, an ancient Greek physician known as the "father of medicine," named the condition on the basis of the Greek word for CROOKED.

The disease is believed to have first emerged in Guangdong province in China in November and then spread to Hong Kong and elsewhere.

According to information presented in Encyclopedia Britannica, sugar was known in India as early as 3000 BC. Gaura, an old Indian word for sugar, was apparently derived from the name Gur, an ancient monarchy in Bengal.

Kettlebells first appeared in Russia over 100 years ago. Originally kettlebells were used in fairs and markets to balance scales when weighing heavy objects. The Russian military began using them within their training regime because they demand an overhaul of all of the body’s energy systems simultaneously.

A brief history: Both beekeepers had difficulty in shaking and brushing bees at harvest. The son kept designing new and innovative escape boards, bought a very expensive, powerful, and noisy Stihl backpack-type blower, and after getting frustrated with each approach, bought a bottle of Butyric Anhydride.

The Solar System Simulator originated as JPL's SPACE software package, which consisted of a set of computer graphics programs designed to simulate spacecraft trajectories and produce various photographic and video products. The SPACE package was specifically designed for animating space missions and was uniquely suited to JPL mission design.

Adam has said... "JP Plunier introduced me to Jack. I was in a Latin Group with Merlo. I suggested him and it went from there"

I could tell you what I've read about evolution, the big-bang, super-universes, quantum foam, and all that stuff. Eventually you'd ask a question I can't answer, then I'd have to go look it up. Even If I had the time for that shit, in the end you'd ask a question science hasn't answered yet. So let's save time and skip ahead to "I don't know."