Donkey Dreams Sanctuary
Our Story
At Donkey Dreams, everything we do comes back to one thing: preserving the wild burro spirit by keeping families whole, giving them room to roam, and honoring their right to still be who they are, even in our care.
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Family kept whole
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Room to roam
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The right to still be who they are
The First Spark
We felt that spirit for the first time years before Donkey Dreams existed, standing in the high desert at a wild mustang sanctuary in Park City, Utah. Co-Founders Edj Fish and Amber Raleigh went there as volunteers, and left with something neither of us expected — a kind of reverence for what it means to watch a wild animal simply be itself. We didn't know it yet, but that feeling would end up shaping the rest of our lives. It's what solidified our vision to preserve the wild burro spirit, long before we knew what that vision would actually look like.
A kind of reverence for what it means to watch a wild animal simply be itself.
The Calling
We assumed, naturally, that if we ever opened a sanctuary of our own, it would be for horses. But little did we know it would be burros. To this day, neither of us remembers whose idea it was, or the exact moment it happened — only that it felt immediate, and it felt like a calling: to open a sanctuary that could help as many burros as possible hold onto their wild spirit after being removed from the wild. We packed up our life and moved to the desert, giving ourselves five years to find the land and bring that calling to life.
What We Learned About Family
Not long after, we found a wild burro rescue nearby and started working there. Burro families came through again and again, and watching them is what changed something in us — the way a mother stayed close to her baby, the way that bond held no matter what else was going on around them. We'd suspected family mattered. Watching it up close is what made us certain.
Then camePink and Eli.
They were born at the rescue. Pink's mom, Sandy, needed extra time to bond with her — so Rizzo, Eli's mom, stepped in and nursed Pink too, the two mothers sharing the job between them until Sandy was ready. We watched it happen, two mothers quietly caring for one family together, and it was impossible not to feel the weight of what family really meant to these animals — not an idea anymore, but something we'd seen with our own eyes.
Two mothers quietly caring for one family together.
- Sandy
- Pink's mom
- Rizzo
- Eli's mom
- Pink
- Sandy's daughter
- Eli
- Rizzo's foal
Five Years Became One
Pink and Eli inspired us to buy land of our own in Kingman, Arizona. We were looking for a home for our family — and, we hoped, eventually more families too. Then the ranch next door to the rescue, in Scenic, came up for sale, and we looked at each other and knew. Five years became one. We opened Donkey Dreams there six months later — with Pink, Eli, and their two mothers as our very first family. The Kingman land stayed ours too: a quiet, just-in-case plan for whatever came next.
Spreading Donkey Joy
From the beginning, though, our hope has reached beyond giving donkeys a home: we want people to fall in love with donkeys and wild burros, the way we did. We want them to feel the peace, the calm, the joy, even the silliness — and the quiet, surprising love donkeys have for each other, and for us.
As a private sanctuary, we can't open our gates to everyone. But we can still spread that joy. Follow along on social media for everyday moments with the herd. Join Herd Insider for a closer look — behind-the-scenes photos, stories, and live moments, straight from the sanctuary. Herd Insider Or become part of the Burro Family Circle, where your support goes directly to one family's care. Burro Family Circle Spreading that joy is just as much our mission as caring for the herd itself.
Family by Family
Year after year, more families found their way to us — some still carrying that same wild spirit, others domestic donkeys who'd been surrendered and simply needed somewhere safe to land. Donkey Dreams kept growing the way it always had: one family, one bond, at a time.
One family, one bond, at a time.
The Move Home
We held onto that Kingman land for four years — a safety net in case of an emergency, and just as much a welcome option if growth ever called for more room. Eventually, it was the emergency that caught up with us first: the neighborhood around the Scenic sanctuary had changed quickly, and it was no longer the peaceful place our donkeys needed. So we made the move: the entire sanctuary, relocated to the Kingman land.
It was a massive undertaking. Edj Fish and Amber Raleigh drove every single donkey themselves, keeping each family and herd together along the way to make the move as calm and peaceful as possible. We knew the land in Kingman would mean more room to roam, more of the wild burro habitat they were accustomed to — and that's what made all of it worth doing.
The Same Way We Started
That's the pattern we've watched play out again and again since the very beginning: a need shows up, often with no time to spare, and it lines up with what we already know is right — for our mission, and for our hearts. So we take the step before we know exactly how it'll come together, and somehow, every time, the pieces find their way into place faster than anyone plans for — these days, often through the people who've fallen in love with donkeys, and who share that same reverence for preserving the wild burro spirit, right along with us. Four years in, Donkey Dreams is still growing the same way it started — one family at a time, rooted in the same thing that brought us here in the first place: family kept whole, room to roam, and the right to still be who they are.
There are more families out there right now who need exactly that same chance Pink and Eli got.
Here's how we're working to reach them — and how you can help.
Save More Families