There’s nothing more adorable than a donkey foal. Those long fluffy ears, reflective ink-black eyes full of intelligence and curiosity.

And for many donkey owners, they are part of the family – loved and well cared for.

It’s when things go wrong that Farmersfield Resthome for Elderly Donkeys (FRED) in Dunscore, in Dumfries-shire, gets involved.

Donkeys can live up to 40 years, sometimes longer, and owners are not always prepared to deal with an elderly donkey’s health issues.

Iraina and Martin McGroarty opened FRED three years ago, after Iraina took the opportunity when restructuring was announced at The Donkey Sanctuary where she was employed as a welfare officer. Iraina and Martin had kept donkeys for years, so it wasn’t so much of a change for them – just more of a natural progression into looking after donkeys full time.

Their website says their donkeys come first, second and third, always. And sure enough when we visit, it is obvious that the donkeys are being cared for by two people who really know and love each donkey as individuals. They live in the best of conditions.

Currently, there are 19 donkeys there; six ponies; quite a few tortoises and guinea pigs; and some dogs. But the donkeys take top billing.

FRED is a registered charity specialising in the care of elderly donkeys, but they do take any donkey in need. If possible, the younger ones will be re-homed.

Iraina is a psychotherapist, and has a lovely calm voice, and she talks about their donkeys like they are old friends. She knows all their personal traits, what they do and don’t like, and what they need to keep them happy in their twilight years.

She said: “Donkeys are different from ponies. I think they have more personality – they are fight, not flight animals. If they get spooked, they will back off but they will come back and assess the situation, unlike a pony which will just run.

“They have more sense – they don’t have the speed to outrun a predator, so they have to use other skills to outwit them.

“You have to learn to negotiate with a donkey and if they understand what it is you want them to do, then nine times out of 10 they will do it.

“They are also stoic, if they are unwell they hide it well, so you had better know your donkey well to spot any change in behaviour. You need a close relationship, it’s important for their welfare.”

Iraina knows her donkeys very well. She can look at a field full of her donkeys and know who isn’t behaving in their normal way. She recounts a story which happened just the other day when she looked in the field. She said: “I know this sounds crazy, but the donkeys were all looking shifty and a little guilty and I noticed that one of them was missing. I went on the hunt and found that one had managed to get himself trapped between two field boundaries and the rest had left him. I knew there was something amiss.”

We take a walk through the fields and she introduces us to them. Relating their names, their ages, their background and their personality traits.

She tells us what each one likes, what they don’t and who likes cuddles most.

There’s a no hand feeding rule at the centre. So when people go into the field, the donkeys are not looking for food.

If donkeys bite, they hang on … which is why they only ever associate a bucket with feed and not fingers.

One of the most important things Iraina wants to stress to people who have donkeys, or are thinking about getting a donkey is that they must have a donkey companion. Always.

She doesn’t agree with them being brought in as a companion for ponies or as protection for sheep or any other animals. She added: “Look in to our field. We have both ponies and donkeys in that one field, but you will see that the donkeys stay together. They don’t want to mix with the ponies – it’s not what they would choose.”

Apparently, donkeys choose their own friends. At FRED they have two that are totally devoted to each other, Daphne and Paddy. It’s an exceptional bond, Iraina said. They are always together.

Donkeys, in general, tolerate other animals, but they bond with other donkeys. She mentions that they have had pairs of donkeys brought in which have lived together for years and she knows as soon as she sees them together that they are just tolerating each other. Sure enough, when she introduced them to other donkeys, they split up and find new companions.

At FRED the quality of life they have is the most important thing. Donkeys start feeling their age around their 20s. That’s when they need more TLC.

For one, their coats aren’t waterproof, so they need to come into stables in the dreich weather. They can suffer from arthritis, laminitis, heart issues, and their feet should be dry.

If you look at where donkeys hailed from, it’s arid desert, not lush green fields. Owners also forget that they need their feet trimmed as often as ponies do.

Most of the donkeys that find their way to FRED come from people who have loved them and cared for them well, but for one reason or another can’t look after them anymore.

Iraina adds: “People buy them, as they think they are cute ... and they are. However, owners don’t handle them as much as they ought to and they need to be handled a lot.

“Donkeys have a low centre of gravity, so can be really strong. You must handle them enough to allow them to be treated by the vet and the farrier or you can be in for trouble.

“Like all equines they will take advantage if you don’t know what you are doing. Donkeys are intelligent, and can be pretty boisterous if not handled properly.

“Owners don’t realise what a commitment it is and how long they can live. We had a donkey here, our lovely Alice, that lived until she was 51.

“The secret to long life is disease prevention. A good diet, tailored to their individual needs, and regular checks on their feet and their teeth keeps the need for vet visits to a minimum.

“Our older donkeys here will stay until the end of their days, so we are used to dealing with loss. We do euthanise when they no longer have a quality of life.”

As the centre is a charity, they are always on the lookout for funding to keep the donkeys in the comfortable conditions that they deserve. They recently launched a ‘sponsor a donkey’ scheme. You can sponsor for as little or as much as you wish. They didn’t want to put a set amount on it, as they are grateful for any donation.

If you sponsor a donkey, you receive video updates via e-mail about your donkey and how it is progressing.

The couple regularly go out and do awareness talks to stop people making common mistakes with donkeys in their care.

They are also on the lookout for any volunteers that can offer some time to help out around the yard. They have a couple at the moment who pop along and help with the grooming or mucking out. Iraina says that some volunteers talked about the therapeutic affect the donkeys have on them.

Iraina concluded: “We ask nothing of these donkeys. If they want to go outside, then they do. If they don’t fancy the weather and want to stay inside, they do.

“They are free to be as happy as they wish. I do draw the line at letting them in the house, which has happened in the past.

“You know you need never look for worries when you have donkeys. But we never, ever, turn a donkey away.

If you would like more information or would like to donate to Farmersfield Resthome for Elderly Donkeys, go to http://farmersfield.org.uk/