Woman’s childhood love for Nativity donkeys sparks unique breeding business

By Matthew Raisch

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    CANTON, North Carolina (WLOS) — When Gail Guy was just 9 years old, she went to a live Nativity scene with her family, and that’s where she fell in love with miniature donkeys.

Guy has always loved the Christmas story in the Bible, that Mary rode a donkey to Bethlehem and the history surrounding the holiday.

The holiday lore gave her an idea — what if she could have a donkey or better yet lots of donkeys?

Now, she, as owner of Rocky Branch Longears – Miniature Donkey Breeders, has lots of donkeys.

“They all have the cross — each and every one. And the legend of the cross is that Jesus was on the cross and that the shadow fell on the donkey’s back. And that’s why every Christmas is so special to us, because we help tell the story of what happened, the reason for the season,” Guy said. “We keep the donkeys alive doing what they do best, and that’s pacifying adults. They’re calming to senior citizens, they’re calming to the brain injury farm.”

Around 2004, Guy bought three miniature donkeys from a man in Hendersonville. Since then, she has had miniature donkeys on her 40-acre farm, usually about 50 that are bred and sold along the East Coast and throughout the United States.

The minis are hearty and easy to take care of because they were originally born in the wild and are used to taking care of themselves.

A male donkey is called a jack and the female is a jenny. The farm even has a set of twins — Minnie and Pearl.

“You have the miniatures, then you have the standards and then have what is called a mammoth donkey. They are big. You breed those to a working horse or a riding horse, a mare, and they have a mule. And mules can’t reproduce. So, this is where the mules start with these smaller donkeys,” miniature donkey breeder Randy Guy said.

In addition to raising and breeding the animals, farm workers take them to schools and special needs camps and introduce them to children. The miniature donkey’s mission is to help people lead a more calming and meaningful life.

Randy Guy and his granddaughter Frankie take donkeys all over Western North Carolina, including brain injury farms and autism camps, and introduce them to children with disabilities.

“This is a farm. This is an operational farm. So, Full Spectrum works with autistic children. I love to bring my students to Full Spectrum Farms because we can do so many things that involves sensory activities. So, we bring in the miniature donkeys,” said Anna Walls, an occupational therapy assistant coordinator at Southwestern Community College.

“This is really a unique partnership between Rocky Branch Longears because of the hands-on opportunity and the active learning that goes on between our college personnel and students along with the Full Spectrum Farm students,” Southwestern Community College President Dr. Don Tomas said.

For a Rocky Branch Longear donkey, a typical day consists of eating grass and grains, drinking water and most of all playing with others. Their favorite treat is one that Gail Guy has whipped up over the years called an apple nugget. It’s a mixture of apple and grain that miniature donkeys love. But the donkeys get a special treat around Christmas time for all their hard work throughout the year. She gives each donkey a piece of peppermint candy.

Rocky Branch Longears is a legacy of love that will continue for years to come with Gail and Randy’s grandchildren one day taking over the operations and continuing what was an idea a young girl once had to a reputation that extends up to the Canadian border and beyond.

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