Xavier is our resident donkey. He is talkative, affectionate, and sweet. He is very popular among visitors to our farm. I was asked by the principal of our son's Catholic school, if Xavier would be willing to be kissed on the nose. The deal was that if the students at our son's school raised enough money, their principal had to kiss a farm animal. She preferred a donkey to say, a pig. Considering how far Xavier has come in his training, and how much he seeks attention from people, it sounded like a trip to the school would be fine. In addition, this was to be done before Christmas Break, so the children would also be doing a nativity scene outside. I arranged to bring Xavier, Fiona the Dexter cow, and our two tame sheep for the Nativity. The animals were perfectly behaved as our priest, Father Andy, sat down on a bale of hay between some kids in costumes and the animals gathered around, and read the Nativity story to the pre-school children. Due to privacy concerns, I cannot show you any pictures of the children in costumes. This picture was taken before the event. Fiona, having some experience at schools with children, was the star. She enjoyed lots of treats and scratches from the children, and our priests.
The sheep were also perfect. They enjoyed pets and scratches from the littlest children. Father Pervaiz even helped me feed them.
After the Nativity, the promised kiss was to be done in front of the entire school. The children formed a horseshoe around the principal and I led Xavier in for his kiss. He did quite well. Here is a picture from the local paper.
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