About the Last Stop Donkey Program
The Last Stop Donkey Program (LSDP) is a farmer-driven initiative based in the Upper Hunter Valley. We work with Australian wild-caught Teamster donkeys and domestic donkeys, repurposing them through careful training and assessment as livestock guardians or well-handled companion animals.
Our focus is practical, on-farm education. We teach donkeys the skills they need to succeed in real working environments, and we give landholders hands-on support so they can integrate donkeys safely and confidently. This is not theory from a book — it is lived experience, shared paddock-side.
LSDP began when founder Brooke Purvis saw a growing number of landholders attempting to purchase donkeys to combat stock losses from wild dog attacks. Donkeys were increasingly sought after, yet difficult to source locally — while in other parts of Australia they were being removed as pests.
What followed was not a rescue model, but a practical question: What if these animals could be repurposed, trained, and placed into roles where they could succeed — and where farmers could succeed with them?
Beginnings
The program began as a small, community-led training initiative and has since evolved into an independent, professional operation providing education, assessment, placement, and long-term support. Today, LSDP hosts producers, schools, families, and community groups, offering hands-on donkey ownership education, on-farm experiences, meet-and-greets, and practical training days.
LSDP is built on community: farmers helping farmers. We place a strong emphasis on animal welfare, evidence-based training, and transparent communication. Every donkey that comes through our program is individually assessed for temperament, physical capability, and mindset. They are then matched to properties based on paddock design, livestock type, terrain, and the skill set of the handler.
A core truth of our work is this: not every donkey is suited to livestock guardianship.
Donkeys, like people, are individuals. Some are born to stand ground, patrol boundaries, and live independently among stock. Others are gentle, social, people-oriented animals who thrive as companions or pets. Forcing a donkey into a role it is not wired for is how animals fail — through no fault of their own.
That is why LSDP offers both guardian placements and companion or pet pathways.
Our responsibility is not to make every donkey fit the job. Our responsibility is to understand who each donkey is and place them where they will succeed.
When donkeys fail in the field, it is rarely because “donkeys don’t work.” It is usually because:
The donkey was never suited to the role
The environment didn’t match the animal
The handler didn’t have the skills or support
Infrastructure wasn’t appropriate
Expectations were unclear or unrealistic
LSDP exists to prevent that outcome.
We don’t sell dreams.
We build systems that work.
Every placement is backed by:
Individual donkey assessment
Property and infrastructure consultation
Honest conversations about suitability
Education for the owner
Ongoing guidance and support
Our aim is long-term success — for the donkey, the livestock, and the farmer.
Beyond placements, LSDP provides outreach, education, and advocacy. We work alongside vets, producers, schools, and rural communities to lift understanding of donkey welfare, behaviour, and management. We share what works, what fails, and why — so others don’t have to learn the hard way.
This program is not about volume.
It is about outcomes.
It is about giving donkeys a role they are capable of fulfilling.
It is about giving farmers tools that actually work.
And it is about building a future where animals don’t fail simply because humans were never taught how to set them up for success.
That is the heart of the Last Stop Donkey Program.
