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a blog by volunteer Cassidy Hurabiell Trader
16th of November 2023
One of my favorite parts of joining the Bani Hayoune family has been getting to spend free time with the animals. At the moment, there are three cats (Grugru, Lolita, Little Bastard), a dog (Sou Sen), and a donkey (Khanafi).
The cats will often curl up on your lap while reading a book, or demand attention in the form of petting their backs. All three of them will come running the moment someone steps foot in the kitchen and spend the entire cooking time begging for food. They enjoy playing but will also happily bask in the sun, watching as you tend to the garden. Once, Grugru even curled up inside a pile of hay, so all we could see was his tail! As the only girl, Lolita is definitely the princess of the family, and in true Princess-And-The-Pea fashion, I often find her happily squished between bedding. Little Bastard is certainly the most elusive of the cats, which makes spotting the fluffy little marshmallow face even more rewarding.
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Sou Sen is always ready to welcome someone new into his home. He has so much love to give whenever you wish to spend time with him. Despite his caring and gentle nature, he takes his job as protector of the family incredibly seriously. When a pack of wild dogs appeared at the edge of the property, the other volunteers and I were unsure of what to do. Luckily, this is what he was trained to do, and he knew exactly how to keep us all safe. We take him on walks every day at dusk, getting to see the most incredible sunsets over the surrounding mountains is a surreal experience.
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Getting to know Khanafi has been unlike anything I’ve experienced back home. While intimidating at first, he is actually one of the friendliest creatures I’ve met. Bringing him food and water was one of my favorite chores, and for anyone apprehensive of getting to close, it’s a great way to interact with him. For anyone comfortable with petting a donkey, I would highly recommend. After a week of feeding and pets he now gets excited and will trot over any time he sees me. As long as you allow him to set boundaries (don’t come too close if he isn’t calm or is eating, once you get near him, allow him to close the gap between you two), he will nuzzle up against you and gleefully accept any scratches between the ears. Interestingly enough, he is the family’s longest-kept pet, with Said’s father having raised him since he was a baby.
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Meet the animals
a blog by volunteer Cassidy Hurabiell Trader
16th of November 2023
One of my favorite parts of joining the Bani Hayoune family has been getting to spend free time with the animals. At the moment, there are three cats (Grugru, Lolita, Little Bastard), a dog (Sou Sen), and a donkey (Khanafi).
The cats will often curl up on your lap while reading a book, or demand attention in the form of petting their backs. All three of them will come running the moment someone steps foot in the kitchen and spend the entire cooking time begging for food. They enjoy playing but will also happily bask in the sun, watching as you tend to the garden. Once, Grugru even curled up inside a pile of hay, so all we could see was his tail! As the only girl, Lolita is definitely the princess of the family, and in true Princess-And-The-Pea fashion, I often find her happily squished between bedding. Little Bastard is certainly the most elusive of the cats, which makes spotting the fluffy little marshmallow face even more rewarding.
Sou Sen is always ready to welcome someone new into his home. He has so much love to give whenever you wish to spend time with him. Despite his caring and gentle nature, he takes his job as protector of the family incredibly seriously. When a pack of wild dogs appeared at the edge of the property, the other volunteers and I were unsure of what to do. Luckily, this is what he was trained to do, and he knew exactly how to keep us all safe. We take him on walks every day at dusk, getting to see the most incredible sunsets over the surrounding mountains is a surreal experience.
Getting to know Khanafi has been unlike anything I’ve experienced back home. While intimidating at first, he is actually one of the friendliest creatures I’ve met. Bringing him food and water was one of my favorite chores, and for anyone apprehensive of getting to close, it’s a great way to interact with him. For anyone comfortable with petting a donkey, I would highly recommend. After a week of feeding and pets he now gets excited and will trot over any time he sees me. As long as you allow him to set boundaries (don’t come too close if he isn’t calm or is eating, once you get near him, allow him to close the gap between you two), he will nuzzle up against you and gleefully accept any scratches between the ears. Interestingly enough, he is the family’s longest-kept pet, with Said’s father having raised him since he was a baby.
