The miniature donkey lost his companion, Ernie, who died due to injuries sustained in the Nov. 19, 2012, attack in which two pit bulls viciously attacked the pair of donkeys south of Beatrice. Bert was left injured, alone and petrified.
After the two pit bulls were shot by officials on the scene, Bert was the only of the four animals involved to survive the ordeal.
Bert recovered from his injuries, but his owner, Carolyn Baker, was placed in a tough spot.
At retirement age, Baker didn’t feel up to getting an additional donkey to keep Bert company, yet didn’t want the miniature donkey to live out the rest of his days alone, either.
In a Daily Sun story published in December, Baker said she was looking for a new family with other animals that could take care of Bert. She wasn’t expecting that eight people would contact her, wanting to help.
“I really was surprised with the economy the way it is and hay prices that people wanted a 10-year-old donkey,” Baker said. “It was so nice that people were willing to do that. I just think Beatrice and the area have a lot of wonderful, kind people.”
One person who contacted her was Scott Fitzwater, who has a farm north of Beatrice.
Fitzwater has other animals -- including two donkeys -- as well as a barn for them to stay in.
Baker found a winner.
“There were other great people who called that had other animals, but no shelter,” Baker said. “I could sure tell when he came out how kind and affectionate he was with animals. I knew it was going to be OK.”
Baker said Bert had been distant since the attack and didn’t want human interaction or much food.
Fitzwater could tell the donkey was reserved when he came to pick Bert up Saturday evening, but after just a few days at his new home, the donkey was adjusting well.
“He was scared to death,” Fitzwater said. “He didn’t want anything to do with me. He didn’t want to be touched, fed or anything. He was reluctant to get on the trailer when we first went to get him, and now he’s almost like a whole different donkey. Him and the other two donkeys have already made pretty good friends.”
Currently, Bert occupies his own pen neighboring the other animals, but Fitzwater expects that by spring the animals be familiar with each other enough to be let into the same pasture.
“Bert is in a really good place and is much better off with other donkeys than he was here,” Baker said. “These are experienced horse people and they were just great with him. It was getting harder and harder for me to tend to him.
“I just think everything worked out. I’m very happy about it.”
(Beatrice Daily Sun - Feb 16, 2013)
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