American Donkey and Mule Society (ADMS)

For Miniature Donkeys, the recognized Registry is held though the American Donkey and Mule Society, known as ADMS. You may mail in registration paperwork or apply on-line. The link for American Donkey and Mule Society is www.lovelongears.com

Back in the day, the registry was created by in 1958 by Mrs. Bea Langfield of Omaha, Nebraska (Danby Farms). The registry was known as the Miniature Donkey Registry (MDR). During that timeframe, results for the registry were captured on pieces of paper and stored in file cabinets (very common for the time).

In 1987, as a gift to carry on the valuable information, the responsibility of administering the registry was assigned to American Donkey and Mule Society, or ADMS (a 501.c3 Non-Profit). At that time, American Donkey and Mule Society had an existing registry for Mammoth Donkeys, Standard Donkeys, and Miniature Donkeys under the American Jackstock Registry, also known as ADR.

Let’s pause here, and discuss the 2 Miniature Donkey registries. The Miniature Donkey Registry (MDR) requires that both parents are also MDR registered. Therefore, this Registry contains a history of each Donkey registered under this classification. The MDR Donkeys in a pedigree will typically state the Donkey’s Registered Name, Place of Birth of an animal, color and mature height. Older generations on a pedigree could lack some of this data, due to lack of availability. In 2010, under this registry, DNA or microchipping became a requirement as permanent identification. The point is an MDR Donkey has a history. This history enables a breeder to make better informed decisions based upon the knowledge of the heritage of their Donkey.

The alternative Miniature Donkey registry, maintained by the American Donkey and Mule Society is the American Donkey and Jackstock Registry, known as ADR. This registry was established in 1967. Under this registry, it is possible to register a Miniature Donkey with unknown lineage. However, there are requirements: 1) Meet basic conformation requirements, gelding are not required to meet these requirements, under 36″ and proper Identification such as DNA or microchipping. Under this registry, an animal is not eligible for MDR until the third Generation. Meaning, Generation One is a Donkey with One MDR parent and One registered under ADR. This Donkey is then bred to an MDR registered Donkey (Generation #2). This offspring is then bred to an MDR Donkey (Generation #3). Generation #3 is eligible for MDR registry, if all requirements are met. As demonstrated, until Generation #3 occurs, the ADR donkeys have many blanks in their pedigree, thus reliability in breeding is an issue.