Blessed Assurance Farm: A Conversation with Kay Allen

In addition to representing donkeys and Tennessee Donkey Association, Kay Allen will be representing Blessed Assurance Farm at Celebration Pet Day this year. Here is how Blessed Assurance Farm and her love for minis and donkeys came about in her own words:

BLESSED ASSURANCE FARM


We moved to our 20 acre farm near Lewisburg TN 7 years ago to sit on the porch and rock and enjoy country life. Since then we haven't had much time for sitting and rocking but lots of time for enjoying.



Our first animals were a pair of Nigerian Dwarf goats. We soon learned to love these wonderful friendly, colorful little goats, some with beautiful blue eyes. They are great milk producers in a small package. Our herd has now grown to about 15. One day we were out riding around in the country and my husband saw a miniature donkey. He said, "Let's get one of those". He had no idea what results that comment would have. Shortly after that we visited a miniature donkey farm where we learned that donkeys do best with a companion. We bought two adorable little geldings and from there our herd has grown to around 25 including some rare blue eyed ivories. We also have 3 alpacas. We just had our first baby born on 8-24-2007 and we are so excited about our new little female cria, we named her Ali and she will remain with us along with her momma Pakki and her future mate Hummer. In addition we have 4 miniature horses, one quarter horse, one standard donkey, one pot bellied pig, one pony, chickens, geese and various dogs and cats and a bunch of loud guineas (they are great tick eaters). I think we need a pair of sheep to complete our family.



I love all our animals but the miniature donkeys are my personal favorites. These gentle easy to care for creatures return more love than you can ever give them. They always want to be hugged and petted. Unlike some animals that come to you only when they want to be fed donkeys just want your love and attention. Don't get me wrong, donkeys DO love to be fed. Donkeys can be trained to pull a cart or wagon and do very well at team driving. The babies are so precious. We carry them around for weeks and they sit in our lap till they are too big to fit. Donkeys require, fresh water, hay or grass, we feed a good quality grain also, regular hoof trimming (which can be done yourself or by a farrier), regular worming and yearly vaccinations. They are very hardy animals and are rarely sick.



We feel so blessed to have been given the opportunity to own and raise some of God's most wonderful and loving creatures thus inspiring us to name our farm Blessed Assurance Farm visit our web site at www.blessedassurancefarm.com . We also love to have visitors at the farm. If you would like to visit just give us a call so we can make plans to be home.



Shortly after purchasing my first miniature donkeys I met some other donkey lovers and we started the Tennessee Donkey ASSociation, a wonderful, fun and informative club for all donkey owners. We started with a very few members in TN and now have over a hundred members in several states. I have been privileged to be the Secretary of the club since it's inception. Many of our members have worked diligently to promote donkeys in our area and encourage good care and host or help with fun shows and events in our area. Showing and exhibiting donkeys is a lot of fun for young and old alike. I really enjoy seeing the kids showing their donkeys. For more information on the club and upcoming shows please visit our web site at www.tennessee-donkeys.com.