Pet with a difference peati as h ya vrgfr 0to Tecitraehrdanas DEBBIE PEEBLES and her son Jason were in- troduced to Friskie, the miniature donkey who received his name through a contest at Brooklin Spring Fair. The owners of Friskie, Bob and Barbara Hunter of Fair Acres Farm of Thickson Rd., provided several of their animals for childreflto pet at the fair. Free Press photo /The Village Pottery For that Unique Wedding Gift... " casseroles e salad bowls " mixing bowls• eternal candies 0 pate dishes • and more... Porcelain & Stoneware VISIT THE SHOP/STUDIO Hwy.7 Mon.Wed. & Fri.10 - 7 Tues. &Thurs., 10 -5 655-4087 Saturday by appointment S Most youngsters dream of owning their very own horse, a dream their parents would love to help come true, buy are unable to due to lack of room or finances. But now there is an alternative - the miniature donkey - and BQb and Barbara Hunter of Brooklin are hoping they can help some of these children's dreams come true. Last February, Bob became in- terested in the small creatures and now has seven, plus a pair of Llamas. Stating that farming could sometimes be a negative proposition, Bob started looking for alternatives and decided to breed the miniature donkeys. "They make excellent pets and are quieter than horses," he said adding, "They are very affec- tionate, just like dogs." The miniature donkey is native to the Mediterannian Islands of Sicily- and Sardinia. They are no longer being imported due to Ministry of Agriculture restrictions, but there are few left in their native habitat. There are about 1,000 of these donkeys in North America today. This particular breed has become quite popular over the years, so much sd that a registry was established in 1958 by the original importers Danby Farms. It is called the miniature, donkey registry of the United States and is based in Omaha, Nebraska. The miniature donkey is by nature one of the friendliest and most affectionate animals of its type. They are exceptionally tame and gentse, love their owners and wantonly seek affection with nudges and brays and funny little sounds designed to get you to pay attention to them. They are ex- tremely intelligent, docile and easily trained. Apparently geldings and jennets make the best pets. Jacks enjoy braying and often become excited in the presence of jennets. The size of the donkeys- is ap- SHomecra ft winners The homecraft section at this year's 76th annual Brooklin Spring Fair drew a large number of com- petitors and huge crowds inside Luther Vipond Arena where they were displayed. First place winners in the following sections were: Class 1- quilts and afghans, quilt em- broidered, Meta Swain; quilt ap- pliqued, Alice Carnegie; quilt pieced cotton, Alicê Carnegie; quilt liquid embroidery, Elsie Gilroy; quilt plain quilting, Meta Swain; quilt by organization or group, Helen Lavender (entered on behalf of Oshawa Whitby Fair); bed- spread crochet (knit, Serena Ran- dall; afghan knit, Donna Taylor; afghan crochet, Greta Hope; com- forter tied, Helen Lavender; quilt single bed, Alice Carnegie; nursery quilt appliqued, nancy Johansen; baby afghan, Marilyn Hill; han- dmade quilted cushion, nancy Johanse. Highest points Alice Carnegie, second Helen Lavender. Class 2- knitting and crocheting: ladies cardigna knit, Diane Jones; ladies pullover knit plain, Donna Taylor; ladies pullover knit fancy, Diane Jones; man's pullover knit fancy, Diane Jones; ladies pullover and vest quick knit, Audrey Young; SEE PAGE 19 pealing as they average from 30 to 36 inches in height at the shoulders, with most measuring in at 34 in- ches. The breeders have worked hard to keep their height down. The smaller the donkey, the more valuable it is accounted to be. The average donkey weighs anywhere from 250 to 450 pounds and their hair can range from fiat to long and shaggy. Some foals can have a soft furry coat and others will have a curly, wiry coat. The most prevalent color is gre-dun with line back and cross. The nose of these donkeys, along with their bellies is usually white, although. dark noses are not uncommon. Life expectancy for these creatures is around 25 to 30 years with good care. They are truly a lifetime companion. The miniature donkey has many uses, the most popular one being that of a pet. They make excellent pets for both children and adults and can be trained to come right in- to the house without causing a fuss or mess. They are also easily trained for children to ride. The donkeys are adaptable to any climate, but do need a three-sided shelter facing south to protect them from the sun and cold in extreme weather conditions such as we have in this area. One acre is adequate for several of them although the pasture will soon be eaten up. If no pasture is available, the donkey is also at home in pens of about 50 by 150 feet. The ci-itters are hardy animais and can get along quite well on pasture grass. They do, however, need a good supply of fresh water and a freely available supply of salt and mineral block. Hay serves the purpose over the winter months wben grass is not available. A 70 pound bale of hay should last a donkey a week, so the cost of feeding them, providing they have summer pasture, should cost =0 more than $50 a year. Quite an inexpensive family pet. Legend has it the distinctive dark stripe down the back and across the shoulders of the miniature donkey came from the blessing of Christ af- ter he rode the animal into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday. The distinctive cross has appeared on the line of animals from that day. Bob and Barbara Hunter are thrilled with their miniature donkeys. To introduce them to others, they took several of them to the Brooklin Spring Fair this year, where youngsters were allowed to pet them and even ride on their back. Many parents delighted in taking photos of the kids while riding. During the fair, the Hunters ran a contest to name the newest mem- ber of their herd, a baby miniature donkey. The winner proved to be Debbie Peebles with the name 'Friskie'. She received a stuffed donkey as her reward as well as a bunt and snuggle from Firskie him- self. Reflections of a Golden Age. By MABEL M. McCABE I was impressed to find that MP Scott Fennell reads the things I write. I'm sorry if I made some mistakes on the outcome of the drug patent bill but I had phoned the member's constituency office a number of times and I wrote to him in Ottawa. The only answer I received was a letter. telling me he would be in touch with me. Imagine my surprise when I found he publicly took the time to tell me how wrong I'd been in my assessment of the facts. I think it would have been more productive to answer my letter and state what those facts were as that was why I called and wrote in the first place. Well,our elected members of Parliament have muchmore im- portant things to contend with, so a mere constituent cannot expect any personal attention. Strange though how quickly he responded to a written article. Maybe it would be wise to air all our grievances in the printed sections of a local paper. I stressed the plight of the seniors in particular but be did not mention that fact and it was the most important one. I am grateful that he has taken note of the ar- ticle in any case because maybe be will be more aware of how the drug prices fluctuate in the future. If that happens then I have ac- complished my mission in the situation. Now to get on to a new subject. I know that the idea of bringing back the death penalty has been talked about and written about by many and there are two ways to look at it. So for what it's worth these are my thoughts. We each have our breaking point and I remember when the last hangings took place and hoped I'd never hear of another. I don't believe killing is ever right whether during war or by law. Murder is murder no matter how or why it is per- formed. Once a person is dead they are gone. If, somehow, they are found innocent later what do we do? Saying we're sorry seems a bit too little too late. Sure it takes money to house these people. So does building a dome stadium but nobody blinks at that cost. Is a life less important? On another level, most of us in our lifetime have said the Lord's Prayer. have we listened to what we are saying or are we just saying words by rote? Remember "Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us." It does not say "except in the case of-." It is one of the hardest things in the world to do. I had reason at one point in my life to really test that theory. I found myself saying I forgive him and yet in my heart I wanted to lash out at the person who had harmed one of my children. No, it was not a murder but the point is that I still felt I should be able to hit back. Now I'm glad I didn't because I can laugh at this person now and I'm free of my anger. That is really the passion that makes us want to get revenge - anger- one of the seven deadly sins. I'm sure you see where I'm trying to take you and your thoughts. We have to look at the idea of the death penalty in a calm, cold, matter-of-fact manner. Would you take the job of hangman? Would you want any member of your family to take such a position? Think long and hard before you come out saying you are for legalized murder.