How it works
By committing annually to a $100/month sponsorship of a mustang or burro, you help us enormously by supporting our existing rescues so we can continue saving more.
SPONSORSHIP INCLUDES:
A personalized Certificate of Sponsorship with a photo of the horse or donkey you choose and your name.
A 60 minute one-on-one visit to Skydog Ranch to meet the horse or burro you are sponsoring, spend time hanging out with them, take photographs and ask questions of our staff.
To visit your sponsored equine, you must be a sponsor for at least 9 months. Anyone who wants to see them sooner will have to pay for 9 months ($900) in advance of their visit. We regret that this has become necessary. We need to discourage those sponsoring for one month in order to visit the ranch, then canceling because they don’t actually care about supporting the animals or our work. These tours take up a lot of time from our staff and the important work they do caring for our rescues.
Choosing a Mustang or Burro to Sponsor
You can search for posts about individuals on Instagram or Facebook with a hashtag that combines the word “skydog” with their name (#skydogdream #skydognugget). You can also go to the Then & Now page on the website to see their photos and read their biographies. (Note: their pages are currently being updated.)
Sponsor a SKYDOG on Patreon
A great way to sponsor a Skydog is by becoming a patron on Patreon and signing up for the $100/month Lead Mare level. This automatically makes you a sponsor and gives you access to exclusive content that we don’t post on other social media platforms. Each new episode of the Horse Love Podcast is released there, as are special offers on merchandise, and breaking news.
Right now, every horse we have saved has a sponsor, which is extraordinary!
We will be introducing our lesser known burros, who do not have sponsors, on social media and featuring them here.
Print by Scott Wilson for New Donkey Sponsors
Wild horse advocate and photographer Scott Wilson (WilsonAxpe) has taken incredible photos of our wild burros. Anyone who sponsors one of them will receive a print by Scott just for signing up.
Bugsy Siegal
Bugsy has no tail and a short left ear, which is not uncommon in the Warm Springs burros we’ve saved. He was named after a mobster in the tradition that began when my husband and I rescued a donkey, Vinnie, on our first date. These burros are sweethearts, but they are also tough guys. Incredibly hardy, resourceful, intuitive, they are true survivors. Able to live on very little, with little water, they make it through bitter winters in the wild by digging for food in the deep snow. They have also been documented digging deep wells to reach ground water during drought, creating water sources for all wildlife. These desert animals demonstrate a unique ability to adapt to different ecosystems and contribute in beneficial ways to the environment. Learn more about the Warm Springs Herd
SPONSOR BUGSY
Or visit our DONATE page for more options.
Lucky Luciano
Lucky is a handsome burro, who stands out with his peachy coloring, as well as having a tail and both ears in tact. He comes from the last wild donkey herd in Oregon on the Warm Springs HMA. This was a vast space, which could easily have supported what amounted to 1 burro per 17,000 acres at that time. The listed number of donkeys on the BLM website before the roundup was 43. They captured 41. We presented copious arguments for releasing some back onto their range, but when the BLM refused, we launched Operation Save The Warm Springs Burros. We asked to take them all to be part of a long-term wildlife study on their natural Oregon habitat at Skydog. Scientists could observe and doument their behaviors and herd dynamics. When the BLM allowed us to take only 10, I made every effort to keep families together and take older burros who would be less likely to be adopted. Lucky was one of the lucky ones to be reunited with some of his herd. Learn more about the Warm Springs Herd
SPONSOR LUCKY
Or visit our DONATE page for more options.
The 5 Amigos
Albert, Alfie, and Atticus are three of the Five Amigos, a group of burros rounded up from their Nevada range in December 2021. Their rescue from a kill pen launched @skydogdonkeys on Instagram to raise awareness to the plight of burros on public lands. They were sold for $25 each as sale authority animals and dumped into the slaughter pipeline. Ages 12-20, they had body scores of 2 and needed time in quarantine to regain their health. Now they run in a very wild herd on 1200 acres. More about the 5 Amigos
SPONSOR ALBERT, ALFIE, OR ATTICUS
Or visit our DONATE page for more options.
RESCUED MUSTANGS
THERE ARE OVER 250 HORSES AND 50 DONKEYS HERE AT SKYDOG
Click on any of the photos to find out more or read their stories on our Then and Now Mustang Page.
RESCUED DONKEYS, MULES, Minis, ZONKEYS & A ZEBRA
