Earl Grey the donkey – Credit: Home for Hooves Farm Sanctuary (via Facebook)

From Canada comes the story of a lonely donkey who fell in love with a yoga ball.

Captivating thousands with his videos of pushing the yoga ball around his paddock, Earl Grey the donkey received donations of dozens of yoga balls after his first one deflated.

Homes for Hooves animal rescue shelter in British Columbia took in a rescue donkey in 2024 that had lived its whole adult life alone, which for a herd animal can be extremely detrimental.

“His original name was Eeyore,” Michelle Singleton, owner of Homes for Hooves, told CTV News. “Which kind of tells you he was a sad, lonely donkey.”

Scheduling play dates with other animals didn’t go well, but what turned things around was a chance encounter with a yoga ball. After that, Eeyore and the ball became inseparable—and he became so happy, he needed a name change.

“The excitement was just …