“They’re inseparable” 💕
Every family has its joker, and at Naughty Donkey Farm Sanctuary (NDFS), that title belongs to Waylon Jennings.
In 2018, when NDFS founder Jodi Helmer first laid eyes on Waylon Jennings, she knew the young donkey was in desperate need of help. Severely underweight and recovering from a traumatic past, Waylon had been rescued from a dangerous situation but was still struggling.
“He was placed in a quarantine facility, where larger donkeys bullied him, keeping him from food and safety,” Helmer shared with The Dodo. “The moment we saw this scared, underweight foal, we said, ‘He’s coming with us.’”
Waylon arrived at the sanctuary to a warm welcome from a family of goats and devoted caretakers. As he settled in, his caregivers learned that his early years had been more difficult than they initially realized.
“We’re unsure where Waylon spent his first two years, but based on his poor health, his emaciated body, and his feral behavior, it’s clear he didn’t receive much care,” Helmer explained. Despite suffering from recurring eye infections that left him blind, Waylon didn’t let his disability slow him down. His mischievous spirit soon earned him the title of the sanctuary’s resident prankster.
Once he started feeling better, Waylon wasted no time exploring his new home. One day, he discovered he could unlatch the goat stalls with his mouth and nose. Delighted, he began setting his goat siblings free — and having fun in the process.
“After opening the stalls, he raids them, tipping over water buckets and helping himself to the hay,” Helmer recounted. “If he thinks there’s not enough hay, he’ll knock over the feeder, or he’ll shove his friends aside to grab the best bits for himself.”
While Waylon is mostly food-driven, there’s one stall he visits just for companionship. “His best friend is a Nigerian dwarf goat named Willie Nelson,” Helmer said. “They arrived at the sanctuary around the same time, and Willie was just a baby. Waylon always lets Willie out first. They’re inseparable.”
To outsmart the clever donkey, Helmer tried using carabiners to secure the stalls, but Waylon figured out how to open them. “We switched to locking carabiners, and he even learned to twist the lock to get the door open,” she added.
When he’s not busy unlocking stalls, Waylon finds other ways to keep life at the sanctuary interesting. He’s managed to turn on the water hydrant, nearly draining the sanctuary’s well, and his wild sprints around the pasture often leave the goats startled.
Recently, Waylon outdid himself by getting his head stuck in an Adirondack chair. Yet, in true Waylon fashion, he wandered around completely unfazed by the situation, proving once again that he’s the ultimate troublemaker with a heart of gold.