Sigh...

Back in 2008, our neighbor directly below our home was Steve M,  his wife, and his brother.  For their faults, they were decent neighbors.  When the family broke up, the house was sold to a couple, Dorothea & Andrew, who came to New Mexico from the west coast.  They too seemed to be good neighbors...  that is, up until they decided that they were going to establish a donkey rescue on less than 3 acres of land.  Sigh....

Spring of 2009, we saw them taking their donkeys for a walk and thought...  isn't that cute.  They had 2 donkeys that looked like twins.  We enjoyed seeing them.

Then, not too long after, they added a 3rd donkey.  Still, all was OK as the animals were being kept down below in the paddock which had formerly been occupied by Yvonne's horse, Capitan.  (Yvonne owned the property prior to Steve.) After the addition of the 3rd donkey, things start to get a bit fuzzy with regard to timeline. And, like people with kids, they soon discovered that 3's a crowd and they added a 4th.

Somewhere during this time, they brought in 21 donkeys!  WTF????

Rob & I went down below to their place and expressed our concerns re: 21 donkeys and the noise they make.  Andrew assured us that "it's only temporary...  when these are gone, no more..." yadda yadda yadda.  We believed him.  We noticed tho' that the donkeys never left.  By this time, one of them started braying very loudly.  He sounded like the dive klaxon on a Navy submarine. It was very, very loud, especially at 3:00 AM.  Sigh....

Back down to the neighbor's house...  express said concerns....  receive reassurances....  yadda yadda yadda....

Months later, there's still about 20 donkeys there and they're expanding the corrals, which was needed. However, the animals are still there....  they ain't leaving...  they're still braying all hours of the day & night, altho' it seems that the noisiest one is quieter.  In fact, at one point in time, I counted 25 or 26 donkeys in the corral. Too many animals...  not enough space.

However, a new problem reared its ugly head...  They are now keeping 4 large donkeys in their backyard.  The donkeys are eating the trees and pushing on the fence. The donkeys have eaten my Leyland Cypress, which I planted for a windbreak.  They've eaten my sage  bushes.  They've cleaned a 3' wide swath of land all the way down to bare earth.  I'm not pleased.

Donkey Eating My Shrubs

Three of the Four 

Then, there was the smell.  The donkeys in the backyard are much closer to our bedroom window (within 50') and when it rains, it stinks.  No longer the fresh smell of rain.

More conversation....  more assurances....  Sigh....

In 2012, things came to a head, much like an annoying pimple.  The neighbors down below told Rob & I at their yard sale that they were applying for tax exempt status and intended to run a rescue out of their home.  My first thought was, "ain't no way in hell."  By this time, even tho' the lower corrals were clean, the neighbors had taken to throwing the shit manure over the fences.  We have manure on the easements, manure on my property, manure... manure... manure...  I tried to help them out by removing a bit of it....  many wheelbarrows full...  didn't make a dent.  Way too much manure...

I really don't like to make trouble for others, but enough is enough is enough....  I can't go on, I can't go on no more now....  enough is enough is enough....

Oops....  sorry about that....

Phone calls were made looking for help...  Sigh....

Unbeknownst to me, some neighbors over on Log Cabin Ln were having the own issues with the lower corrals being in their front yards.  It seems, when they unload a trailer full of donkeys, those residents have no in & out capability.  The trailer blocks the road.  It is, after all, a one car lane that is a private road.  A road which is being used without permission.

Log Cabin Lane - Homes on Right, Donkeys on Left

This video shows the problem with regard to blocking the small lane.  The video belongs to the ELS and the "embed" code came from their public, FaceBook page.


Now, it's 2013.  Some of the manure has been removed (Thank God!) but there are still large quantities of it everywhere, including around an active propane tank.  The neighbors have applied for a zoning variance and we attended the hearing, voicing our opposition.  We are now waiting to see what happens.  Truly enough is enough...

The neighbors have gotten ugly with some of those who oppose them receiving very nasty phone calls in the middle of the night.

No one should have to live like this....