(birds chirping) (donkey braying) - [Narrator] Finding an escape from the pressures of a busy world isn't always easy.

- Yes, he's my boy.

- You can't go in the house, you're too big.

- [Narrator] But Jim and Rhonda Urquhart of Oregon City have got your solution.

- Come on, guys.

Jim my husband and I, we bought this property in 2006, and I kept hearing a donkey braying across the way.

And I said to Jim, "Oh, it'd be kind of fun to have a couple of donkeys, honey."

- [Narrator] That idle thought soon blossomed into the Oregon Donkey Sanctuary.

(donkeys braying) It's a permanent home for 26 donkeys, ranging in size from the tiniest miniatures to almost horse-sized.

- The general opinion of a donkey is, they're bitey, kicky, stubborn, and that is so untrue.

They are incredibly intelligent and they want to be, you know, with people.

Would you like to come in?

(door squeaking) You guys have to get back.

We've taken in several donkeys that were just abandoned.

Vincent is almost 30, and we got a call that he'd been abandoned.

We have taken in abuse cases.

Mike is 11.

He came in with arsenic poisoning from a water well.

And several starvation cases.

And then back here we have Gage.

Gage is a Bureau of Land Management donkey.

He was captured in Utah, and during the capture, he was injured.

He's crooked, but he's not in pain.

You can stand up, bub.

So you can see his fetlock down here is torqued.

- [Narrator] Known in the wild as burros, donkeys like Gage had to fight for survival.

- And this one, you can see part of the ear is missing.

Gage came to us, he was pretty shut down, and now he's happy.

It just takes him a while to get around.

Right?

That's right.

He got a good life now.

(ATV rumbling) - [Narrator] This good life is provided in large part by volunteers.

It's almost there, buddy.

There you go.

- So we've grown from about 10 regular volunteers to more than 100 in the last two years.

We currently have a waiting list of more than 200 people who are interested in volunteering with us.

We work really hard, but we really enjoy every minute of it.

All right, Shreky, here we go.

Shreky here, he has arthritis in his rear end, so we give him massage every day to just loosen that up, and he seems to really enjoy it.

- [Narrator] Volunteer Coordinator Melissa Gray seems to have found Shrek's special spot.

- So he's making the happy face now.

(massager buzzing) (Melissa laughing) That is the spot.

- [Narrator] Clearly, this is a sanctuary, not just for donkeys.

- [Melissa] For me, this is where I come to refill my cup.

Being around the donkeys, it's incredibly peaceful.

It's fun.

It's relaxing.

And it's really lovely.

- [Narrator] And that seems to be true even when the work is... a bit messy.

- How you doing, hmm?

This is Dave.

And he needs to be fed this way because his mouth doesn't worked properly.

The doctors think that he was hit and it damaged a nerve in his mouth or his neck, so he has to have help.

It's not work because you're doing it for someone you love.

These are our friends and we love all these guys.

Everybody here who's a volunteer feels the same way.

He's a great listener.

Tell him everything, he won't tell on you.

Keeps the secrets, right, Dave?

Everybody loves Dave.

- [Vet] You're all right, you're all right.

Good boy.

- [Narrator] Dave also gets stimulating acupuncture treatments to improve sensation in his damaged nerves.

- [Vet] No running away.

- [Rhonda] Oh, you scared now?

It's interesting how they understand when you're trying to help them.

They have a sense about that, and they'll be very compliant with treatments that you would think that they would not.

- [Narrator] Once fed and watered... - I don't wanna pay his bar tab, I'll tell you that.

(Rhonda laughs) (donkey braying) - [Narrator] The donkeys are ready to go to work.

- Their job is being just an amazing resource for calming nervous people.

Everything from special needs to people that have PTSD.

We're not really a licensed therapy facility, but we do call it donkey-assisted activities where people can come out and spend some time with them and escape the everyday craziness that's in the world right now.

- [Narrator] Today's visitors come from Housing Independence, a metro area organization that supports adults with disabilities to live independently.

- [Jim] Hi, guys!

- [Amy] Good morning.

- [Jim] Welcome to Oregon Donkey Sanctuary, guys.

There you go, just take your time.

We're on donkey time here, so there's no rush.

- [Amy] We like donkey time.

- Oh, am I on TV?

- [Jim] Oh, maybe.

(laughs) - Hi everybody.

Hi Mom, hi Dad.

(Jim laughs) - [Jim] So let's go meet some donkeys.

Donkeys don't react to stimuli as much as a horse, so we feel relatively confident that they're gonna be safe around the donkeys.

- [Visitor 1] I think this one likes you.

- [Rhonda] Donkeys have connected with people in a way that has changed their lives.

Sometimes words are not available to people who come here, and they feel the stillness that donkeys can offer.

It's surprising how they can connect with people in silence.

(visitors chattering) - [Jeanine] There you go, donkey.

- [Stacy] This one likes getting her tail brushed.

(visitors and volunteers chattering) - [Volunteer] I know, all the dust.

- [Mike] Yeah.

- [Volunteer] Isn't that horrible?

Do you wanna come over on this side so you're not right behind the donkey.

- [Jim] Toby, Toby, really!

- [Visitors] Did he lick you?

- [Jim] Yes, eww!

- [Volunteer] Here, and this protects it from wind.

- [Jeanine] You like this ear thing?

Oh, you like that, don't you?

- [Jim] Oh, she loves that.

- [Derek] Wish you had one named after a famed actor like Eddie Murphy.

- [Jim] We have Eddie Haskell.

- [Jeanine] There you go.

- [Jesse] It almost feels like touching a stuffed animal or something.

It feels amazing.

(visitors chattering) It's just, it's so soft.

I like this.

- [Rhonda] They are so kind.

They are so gentle.

They're so loving.

So, anytime that we can have people and groups come here and experience that themselves, I mean, it's a joyous thing to do, and there's nothing I'd rather be doing.

- [Narrator] That a whimsical idea would turn into a life's mission was a big surprise for Jim and Rhonda.

- [Jim] We had no idea.

I mean, this was not on the bingo card at all.

You know, we've been just overwhelmed with the response that we've received already from the general public.

I mean, we have on average probably 4 to 5,000 people out here a year.

And what we would like to do is turn this into a therapy facility.

That would certainly be kind of the long-term goal.

Toby, what are you doing on my back?

(visitor laughs) Oh, right there, that's a good spot.

- [Rhonda] Donkeys are magic, and it sounds silly, but people leave here happier than when they arrived, and that's a testament to the donkeys.

(birds chirping and trilling) (no audio)