Her name is Jane.
According to her owner, Tracy Blue, the 6-year-old jenny is the only certified therapy donkey in the area, gaining that certification in December. But on Monday, Tracy and Jane took some time to enjoy the gorgeous day, stopping and meeting people along the way.
"I love it. I love to share. She's so wonderful. She's such a good girl and she's so kind and sweet. I love sharing with everyone,” said Blue.
Jane isn't shy and she gets plenty of attention from just about everyone that walked by, including from other 4-legged friends.
Owen Laukkanen had stopped in Duluth as he traveled from western Canada to Halifax, Nova Scotia to walk his dog along the Lakewalk when the pair came across Tracy and Jane.
Laukkanen was initially skeptical of his dog’s reaction to Jane, but the pair seemed to hit it off right away.
"She's a rescue dog, so I've never seen her around a donkey before. But she was very sweet, and Jane was very sweet as well. Fast friends,” said Laukkanen.
Blue says her and Jane will often visit other locations outside of Downtown Duluth.
"We do nursing homes, hospitals, children's homes, special events...pretty much anything,” said Blue.
Blue says the visits are done voluntarily and she doesn’t charge for the work they do. However, they'll receive an occasional donation.
The pair have been driving down from Munger since the summer, and they'll be out and about more often as temperatures warm up this spring.
"I didn't know if this was par for the course for Duluth, but whatever it is, I'm well on board,” said Laukkanen.
Blue has created a Facebook page dedicated to Jane and a pair of other donkey that have yet to be therapy certified. A link to that page can be found here.