I've raised several donkeys and never had a problem with any of them except one of the ginnies. She was definitely the "barnyard boss". To stop her kicking and biting at the other donks during feeding time, I built a series of feeding chutes. They were too small for more than one donk at a time to enter,and the boards down each side prevented kicks and bites. They could only enter the chute from one direction.There were 4 chutes ( 2 on each side ) with a center aisle.I could walk down the aisle and put their feed in their buckets and flakes of hay in the hanging feeders.Donkeys are not stubborn or hard-headed as most people believe,but they are cautious to the extreme. Unlike a horse,a donkey will never place itself in a situation where it thinks it's going to get hurt.Getting down to their level is a good idea and it does teach them to trust you,but I don't think I'd want to have my brains at the level of a kicking donk ! It's possible she may have been in heat,but you said they're over 4 yrs.old and you've had them quite some time.It's also possible that the more dominant one has come to view you as a member of "her herd" and is subjecting you to the same treatment as the other donk. Either way,it's totally unacceptable behavior.As for hitting them with buckets,shovels,etc.I would strongly disagree with that advice. Reason being,donkeys do NOT forget ! I can smack the heck out of one of my horses if they act like an idiot and 5 min.later,they're begging for treats :>) Donkeys will find some way to get even with you.You will lose any trust you have built up with them because they are going to remember that you're the one who hurt them and not only that,if you decide to bang on your donks with a shovel,then you will probably deserve to get knocked on your butt ! Sorry,but that's the way I feel.I don't treat my horses like my children,but I don't abuse them either,and way-laying any creature with a shovel just smacks of abuse. When you're working with your donks,stay close to them,basically crowding them.It gives them less room to draw those legs back and let you have it.Has something about you changed that maybe your donks sense ? Did you get a new dog ? Donks are wonderful "guarddogs" and will stomp coyotes and dogs to death if given a chance.Could they possibly be smelling a strange dog's scent on you ? I would halter them one at a time and work with them separately for about 30 minutes a day. If the bossy one goes to kick,turn her in circles until she gets those legs back under her and keeps them there.Lucky for me,my son's a big guy and whenever I have a problem with any of the colts I'm breaking,I call him in.If one goes to kick or rear up and paw at us,he can usually put the younger ones on the ground.It dosen't take but a time or two before they realize that if they go to kick or rear,they're going to get spun around and dropped to the ground.As for the braying.. this is what the donks do and do very well :>) I'm kind of wondering if they aren't calling for you.Silly as this may sound,like horses,they are herd animals and if they've come to recognize you as part of their herd, then maybe some of the braying is just their way of trying to locate you ? Mine would bray when I pulled up at the barn to feed,and they brayed if strange vehicles came down the lane,but it wasen't excessive.Friends of mine who have donks say theirs only bray a couple of times a day and for the most part are pretty quiet. Hope some of this helps. Susan

Before you go to small claims or lawyer (I'm not one, by the way, am a LL), I'd suggest a trip to the local police department. In some jurisdictions, a person who has stayed/occupied a residence for a length of time (as little as a few weeks) is viewed as being a resident there. (That's why I stipulate on my leases who will occupy, and I name names, and take a few other measures. In the past I had people allow others to stay with them for a month or even longer. If roomie decides they don't want to leave, I could well be facing eviction as the only means to get them out - on someone who's not even on my lease.) Wait - I see you can't get a police escort. Why? Did they give you a reason?

I have found the college officiating to be sadly biased. I wasn't able to watch last night, but it sounds like some blatant dirty playing from what I've read. I was rooting for Oregon because I cannot stand Cam Newton and the rest of the Auburn team, for those very reasons. And I cannot be convinced that he wasn't privy to the sale of his talents by his preacher father. Maybe that Heisman should have gone to someone else? At the Rose bowl, there was def biased officiating against Wisconsin. Having said that, I have seen biased officiating when in Camp Randall against whoever is playing Wisconsin. I really hate that--you need to win fair and square!

Louislinus - first of all, I understand you are upset with the buyer about not releasing the inspection contingency. However, you did sign a contract that did not specify a deadline. So my understanding is that your buyer has not done anything wrong. You just don't like the contract you signed. As for the appraisal - has the buyer agreed to pay $25k over appraisal? She may have been pre- aproved for a mortgage. But unless she is willing to put up that $25k in addition to her 20%, she won't be getting a mortgage. I'm not sure why the bank will listen to you - you are the seller and the bank only has a relationship with the buyer. Appraisals do take into consideration differences in lot sizes. No 2 houses are identical. So a appraisers make adjustments for things like lot size, square footage, number of bedrooms and bathrooms, how busy a street is. When we've had our house appraised, even though we are the largest lot in our subdivision, lot size barely matters. Unless you have a big enough lot with enough frontage for 2 homes, you are just valued at 1 build able lot. And the fact that your house appraised for $15k less than 5 years ago also is irrelevant. It is based on what current homes are selling for NOW. What you paid 5 years ago and how many improvements you made have no bearing on what your house appraises for today. I hope things work out for you in the end. But between the roof issues, basement issues, and appraisal issues, I have a feeling this sale may not be going through.