We asked the name of the pig, and the two guys who brought her just shrugged their shoulders. It just so happened that the same day the pig arrived, we lost an old friend to old age - Puddin the bunny rabbit. So, in memory of Puddin, we gave our new friend the name "Puddy". 

          Unfortunately, in her old home, Puddy had not been loved as much as she yearned to be. We knew there would be some trust and value issues; we set out to ensure Puddy was loved and appreciated the way a beautiful pig should be. First we started with gaining her trust through her palate. We fed her a special blend of the finest pig feed and her favorite side of corn kernels. Then we set out to make her the finest accommodations a pig could imagine. Dan built her a little house, complete with a heat lamp, under the Nature Center  Although the progress was slow, we felt her coming around. Until, that is, Miss Pepita, our other donkey, found that there was a pig on the prowl at Onas.

          Paco was fine with Puddy's presence, but Pepita saw the cute little pot bellied pig as a threat. We realized that Pepita had never met a member of the swine family and just needed some time to see that Puddy surely would be no threat. But then, Puddy set her sites on a new sleeping area and moved into Paco and Pepita's home, making a bed out of Pepita's hay. Needless to say, Pepita was not happy but Puddy would not budge.

           Puddy has dealt with her entitlement issues and now we all agree that she is a pleasure to have around and is here to stay.  Pepita and Puddy still get into little tiffs now and then, but in true Onas fashion, all three animals get along just fine. 

Puddy and Pepita working out their relationship.

In rural Upper Bucks County, Pennsylvania, there is a small summer camp called Camp Onas.  During the summer, the camp is filled with happy boys and girls.  Along with all the campers lives a little miniature donkey named Paco.  Paco’s origins are a bit unclear, but this much we do know: Paco was purchased from a local farmer for two hundred dollars, he is about thirty years old, and he has spent the past twenty years at the camp.

            In previous summers, camp has rented others animals for their nature program such as goats, pigs, cows, etc…But during the rest of the year Paco was alone.  At the end of every summer when the time came for the campers and other animals to go home, Paco would become very upset and depressed.  But he learned to cope with the loneliness the best he could.  Sometimes a few straggler bunnies or chickens would be left, but for the most part, Paco was all alone. 

            We tried the best we could to keep him happy during the year, yet there always seemed to be something missing.  Paco became more and more lonely and depressed.  He would he-haw whenever we walked near his pen as if he were trying to tell us something.  We would try to comfort him but we could only do so much.  Every once in a while some white tailed deer would come by his pen.  And when these wanderers came by, Paco would he-haw until they came and gave him some attention.  Twenty years at this left Paco with some issues (as you could probably imagine).  He tried to eat his problems away, which only left him with a big belly, and still an empty heart.  Sometimes when animals did actually come to visit him, Paco did not know how to accept the affection and would act inappropriately with them.  Some of the campers at Camp Onas even claimed that he was mean and grumpy.  Regardless, we loved him and for the most part he had a nice kind way about him.

            We decided in the fall of 2002 that maybe it would be nice to get Paco a permanent friend.  It wasn’t until we began researching the possibilities that we were informed that it was absolutely necessary for Paco to have another donkey as a friend.  So the search was on to find a friend for Paco.  Not far from camp we found two experts in the needs of miniature donkeys like our Paco.  Henry and Rita Lowe invited us down to their donkey farm to see if they could help us out.  They introduced us to a whole world of miniature donkeys we never could have imagined.  We had no idea Paco was missing out so much by not having another donkey around.  Henry and Rita had a special donkey named Pepita who had lost her friend some time ago and was kind of a loner.  Their other donkeys excluded her and left her alone most of the time.  Pepita seemed to have the same hole inside of her as Paco did.

            So, Henry and Rita agreed that Pepita would be a good friend for Paco.  They wanted to meet Paco and see how Pepita would be living at the camp.  Well, when Henry and Rita came to meet Paco they were very impressed.  Paco was indeed a fine specimen of a donkey.  They were sure he and Pepita would be great for each other.

            For twenty years Paco had lived alone under the nature center at Camp Onas.  But the amenities were not suitable for two donkeys.  Camp Onas was not in a position to build a new home for two donkeys and it looked as if Pepita and Paco would not get the chance to keep each other company after all.  But Henry and Rita felt so strongly about helping poor Paco out of his loneliness that they offered to donate Pepita and build the two of them a new shed with a paddock area.

            We at Camp felt as though we had slipped into the Donkey Twilight Zone.  All this for two donkeys!  We could not believe it.  Soon, arrangements were made to get the two donkeys together.

            The day Pepita came to Camp Onas marked the turning point in Paco’s life.  Paco could not believe his eyes.  He fell instantly head over hooves in love with Pepita.  We were all so happy to see Paco at last have a friend.  He no longer he-haws all day long to get attention.  He just seems content in his new home with his new best friend.  Although, it took a little while for the two of them to work out the dynamics of their relationship, they have now become inseparable.  The campers all agree that Paco seems much happier than he ever has before.  He is indeed a changed donkey!

            Thank you very much, Henry and Rita Lowe,

                                    From all of us at Camp Onas 

Paco and Pepita

Paco and Pepita in front of their home.