HOW A SEEING EYE THERAPY DONKEY BRINGS COMFORT TO MINNESOTA SENIORS

PEOPLE

 

How a Seeing-Eye Therapy Donkey Brings Comfort to Minnesota Seniors: ‘There’s a Lot of Joy’

Tiptoe's regular visits to one senior community are a highlight for many residents, who delight in his presence

By Wendy Grossman Kantor  Published on February 24, 2024 10:00AM EST

 

Meet Tiptoe, who serves as a seeing-eye donkey for a blind horse in Minnesota.

 

"He's not your typical donkey," says his owner, Erin Larson. "He's very calm and very steadfast."

 

Larson, 39, adopted the now-2-year-old donkey after seeing a story about him on Facebook. Tiptoe was serving as a seeing-eye guide for a blind donkey at a local rescue near her home in Minnetonka, Minnesota. Sadly, the blind donkey was put to sleep — coincidentally on the same day that Larson's blind horse had an eye removed.

 

"We just immediately knew that we needed to go rescue him to be the seeing-eye donkey for my blind horse,” says Larson, a fundraiser for a therapeutic riding organization, We Can Ride.

 

Her 10-year-old Arabian horse, Ty, and the young donkey instantly bonded when Tiptoe arrived in 2022.

 

"All of us cried," Larson says. "They're good buddies. We call them brothers."

 

Tiptoe is a standard donkey; he weighs about 225 lbs. “He was stomped as an orphan,” Larson says of his difficult beginnings. “His mom didn't want to be a mom, and she stomped his all four little feet and his neck.”

 

After his mother trampled him, he was rescued and taken to the veterinary ICU at the University of Minnesota, where he spent four months fighting for his life. He was bottle-raised by a rescuer. “So he kind of thinks he’s a person,” Larson says.

 

Tiptoe loves hanging out with people, too. Larson takes the snuggly, tail-wagging donkey for weekly visits at local senior living and memory care facilities.

 

"He tends to tap into something deep down inside and get them talking," she says of his interactions with residents. "It's just really cool how somehow a little donkey connects with them on a different level."

 

When he arrives at a senior center, Larson says Tiptoe walks around "and he'll zero in on someone and goes in and he asks for hugs, kisses."

 

"He'll come straight up to your lap and he drapes his head over your shoulder and just snuggles in," she adds. "It's really special."

 

Larson also takes Tiptoe to visit school children and even to teach STEM lessons.

 

"He's got a bit of a following around the Twin Cities," she adds.

 

Larson admires the donkey's resilience — and his gentle kindness.

 

"He survived — and no one thought he would — and now he's paying it back and giving back to all the people who have showered him with love. I think there's a lot of joy in that," Larson says.