Trailrunner, thanks, thats way cool...
Jim

Thanks Bill,
photos of your packs and donkeys?
So all the stuff I read on Donkeys talked about the larger breeds but basically where extolling the classic Mexican burro for inteligence and dog like behavior, and they are the smallest of the standard size I guess. interesting that you use a miniature breed and they still weigh 400 pounds. at 1/8th body weight a 50 pound pack is the equivalent of a 12.5 pound pack on a 100 pound human.

So whats involved with raiseing sicilian donkeys? Would one be happy if he had 2 people and a dog to talk to. Pretty much whatever animals we adopt will share our lives. We never knew how a dog would become one of the family. She talks to us...

I'll admit however that at this point I am leaning towards the Llama. I called the ranger station and Llamas and pack goats are both welcome in Three Sisters Wilderness.

We saw wild (feral) donkeys in Sheldon Game preserve in NW Nevada and around he Vigin Valley opal mines. We have a gov't green forerunner and when we would see a herd and stop, they would approach us. Moms with little ones stayed back and the largest males came up to see if we had any food or traquiliser darts.

Finally: What about miniature horses? I can get them too.
Jim