“Hope loves grazing and exploring in the back pasture with her friends and gets very excited for treats,” says caregiver Nicole Gaglione. “She is known to make a beeline over to people for pets and scratches, and is a pretty chill lady overall.”

This fun-loving donkey has even found a hobby: hanging out right behind the camera as we take photos at the sanctuary, overseeing our work. She’s become lovingly known as our amateur sanctuary photographer.

We welcomed Hope and Dixie to our California sanctuary in 2025, when their guardians could no longer provide all the care they needed. Their rescue history is uncertain, but it’s believed that these lovable gals are a mother-daughter duo originally saved from a “kill pen” in Texas, where donkeys and horses are auctioned to be slaughtered in Mexico and Canada.

Not only were Hope and Dixie likely spared from that cruel fate, but they’ll continue living happily together at Farm Sanctuary—a life of freedom and family that too few farm animals ever get to experience.

Farm animals are individuals with personalities, preferences, and complex emotional lives, including donkeys, despite the common misconception that they’re all stubborn and sad.

Dixie is shy and nervous around humans, while Hope is trusting and cuddly. In fact, Hope wins the hearts of everyone she meets, greeting our caregivers and tour guests alike with affection.

To Hope, it’s always a picture-perfect moment for more snuggles, to the delight of all who spend time with her.

In fact, we’re not sure she’ll ever feel she can cozy up close enough to someone!

Hope is an ambassador for donkeys everywhere, helping countless people see farm animals as individuals who deserve a chance to live and love. With her contagious joy, she inspires her friends at Farm Sanctuary, too, reminding us to greet each new day with hope in our hearts.