Barkley
An OG of Skydog
In Memoriam
Barkley was my darling best friend, Cofounder of Skydog Sanctuary, Ranch Manager Extraordinaire, and Greeter of Unicorns. He was the kindest being I’ve ever known. It's impossible to describe a soul as good as his, or a heart so big. I would never have been able to build Skydog and rescue as many as we have without his strength, companionship, and boundless enthusiasm for everything.
The first The Dodo Video ever made about us was about Barkley. It helped us grow, which enabled us to save many more animals.
Mostly I will remember how people's faces lit up when they met him. His incredible sensitivity with new foals, staying utterly still to let them come to sniff him at their own pace. His joy at getting donkeys to chase him - and always outrunning them. Waking up in the night and reaching out to stroke his soft face. The sound of his ears flapping to tell me he wanted to go out. Going on hauls with him. The way he greeted almost every new horse and donkey, then making them feel loved. He was my bridge to the wild ones, telling them not to be scared anymore, assuring them it was safe to come close. Everybody loved Barkley.
He and God gave me an incredible gift of an extra six months after his cancer diagnosis. I am thankful for every minute. He went so so peacefully, as he did everything in his beautiful life. His spirit and light are with me every day. I loved him and he loved me unconditionally and taught me what that means.
American Mustangs and Burros Need Your Help
In addition to supporting our work by donating, becoming a patron on Patreon, or sponsoring a Skydog, there are several important pieces of legislation to protect American equines currently moving through Congress. It only takes a few minutes to contact your Rep and two Senators to urge them to support these bills. You can Contact Members of Congress by calling the Capitol Switchboard (202) 224-3121, submitting contact forms on their individual websites, or sending one email to all three simultaneously at www.democracy.io
Save America’s Forgotten Equines (SAFE) Act of 2025 (H.R.1661 in the House and S.775 in the Senate). This bill would amend the Agriculture Improvement Act of 2018, commonly known as the “Farm Bill”. There are several important provisions for animals in that omnibus federal law, including the Cat and Dog Meat Trade Prohibition Act. It is currently illegal to slaughter, transport, possess, purchase, sell, or donate dogs and cats, or their parts, for human consumption. The SAFE Act would extend the ban to equines and shut down the slaughter pipeline that sends some 20,000 American horses and donkeys to savagely monstrous deaths in foreign slaughterhouses every year.
The Wild Horse & Burro Protection Act of 2023 (H. R. 4356) The bill would eliminate the use of helicopters in rounding up wild horses and burros, and require a study into alternative methods for humanely gathering the animals.
Ejiao Act of 2025 (H.R. 5544). To ban the sale or transportation of ejiao, a gelatin made from boiling donkey skins, or products containing ejiao in interstate or foreign commerce, which brutally kills millions of donkeys primarily for beauty products and Chinese medicine.
See our How to Help menu for other actions to ban zebra hunting at canned hunt ranches in Texas & Oklahoma, bringing an end to the BLM using Sale Authority to funnel wild equines into the slaughter pipeline, and stopping production of Premarin & other drugs made from pregnant mare urine.