Miniature, drink-carrying donkeys popular at Fresno-area parties. ‘They are so cute’
Ranetta Bron of Sanger didn’t set out to be in the mini-donkey, beverage-serving business. But her love of animals and a demand for the service helped steer this real estate agent onto a new career path.
Bron is the owner of Drinky Donks, an event business that employs two miniature donkeys to carry cold beverages, party favors, hand-held desserts, and anything else you can stuff into two woven wicker baskets hanging from pack saddles.
The company has been in business for just a few years and is picking up momentum as the demand for something new and different grows among the Fresno-area party and wedding planners.
Similar operators exist across the country with names such as Ears with Beers, Beer Burros and Tiny Hiney’s.
Bron came up with the name Drinky Donks as a takeoff of the 1980s child’s craft game known as Shrinky Dinks.
“My kids didn’t get it, but that was OK,” she said.
Bron got her start in the business somewhat by accident in 2019 when a good friend asked her if she could wrangle some mini-donkeys to help distribute drinks at her party. She agreed and gave two of her four donkeys, Buttercup and Fiona, a mother and daughter team, a try out. They were a hit.
“They did amazing,” she said. “They have the perfect personality for it. They weren’t phased by the people or the photographer. They almost seemed to enjoy it.”
The miniature donkeys are part of the barnyard menagerie that live on Bron’s rural, east Sanger home. Along with the donkey’s, Bron has two horses and 10 head of Belted Galloway cattle, the black ones with the broad white coat on their mid-section.
Bron’s two other mini-donkeys aren’t quite ready to join the Drinky Donk team. One of them still likes to nip and the other is fond of backing up near you and using her hind leg to get your attention.
“For me, it’s usually right around the knee caps,” Bron said with a laugh.
Thankfully it doesn’t happen very often, she said, and you can usually tell when she is getting into position to do it.
To rent Drinky Donks its $850 an hour and $350 every additional half hour. Bron and the donkeys arrive in a shiny white trailer and will travel within a 45-mile radius of their ranch near Sanger. Anything outside of that is $2.50 a mile.
Recently, Fiona and Buttercup were hired for an eighth-grade graduation party in north Fresno. About 60 people were expected to attend the bash that included a water slide, mechanical bull riding machine, a disc jockey, a dunk tank and swimming pool.
The owners of the home, Chris and Emily Shafer, threw the party for their daughter Keira and three of her friends. The Holy Cross Junior High School student was thrilled at seeing the donkeys.
“They are so cute,” Keira said.
Chris Shafer saw the Drinky Donks at a recent golf tournament and reached out to Bron to book the donkeys.
“I thought, what a cool idea for a party,” he said. “And the kids seem to love it.”
Once they arrive and are fitted with their baskets, Bron and her 10-year-old daughter Austyn, guide Fiona and Buttercup through the backyard, stopping to let party goers scratch them behind the ears or pick out a soft drink from their baskets.
The party’s hosts supply the age-appropriate beverage of choice.
Bron, who isn’t active in real estate at the moment, is committed to running Drinky Donks for the near future. And Fiona and Buttercup appear to be enjoying their time in the spotlight, including the extra pets and treats.
“We are having fun,” Bron said.
This story was originally published May 31, 2024 at 9:14 AM.
