King, 57, wasn\u2019t an animal guy, but the way he felt after watching the video shook him awake. In no time, he began writing a business plan to secure funding for a donkey rescue, but then realized that he had never actually interacted with a burro.<\/p>\n
Thus, King became the caretaker of three donkeys he still has to this day: Goose, Shadow and Pickles.<\/p>\n
\u201cI fell madly in love,\u201d King told the Star-Telegram in late September. \u201cNow we\u2019ve rescued, I think, 496 donkeys in total since we opened five-and-a-half years ago.\u201d<\/p>\n
\ud83c\udfac In case you missed it: <\/p>\n
Healing hands<\/p>\n
King opened Oscar\u2019s Place<\/a> in 2021 and hasn\u2019t looked back.<\/p>\n The initial donkey rescue is located in Hopland, California, and serves as a haven for the animals where they\u2019re nurtured and cared for. In 2025, the nonprofit was gifted a 116-acre property in Potter Valley, California, that is being used as a donkey sanctuary.<\/p>\n A little over a year ago, King hired Dr. Kate Schoenhals as a full-time veterinarian for the California operation, and one of the first things she relayed to him is that he\u2019s rescuing donkeys in Texas and then putting them on a trailer for 32 hours to the Golden State. Sick donkeys are getting sicker, and healthy donkeys are falling ill from being transported together.<\/p>\n King realized it wasn\u2019t good animal husbandry. He needed to do better by the donkeys. Thus, he looked for a facility in Texas where his team could treat and care for them much faster.<\/p>\n He found one in Collinsville, about 70 miles north of Fort Worth, and created the first donkey hospital in the U.S.<\/p>\n \u201cWe would buy our donkeys on Sundays at noon, and they would be seen by the doctor for the first time on Tuesday night at 5 p.m.,\u201d King said. \u201cNow we buy them at noon, and they\u2019re seen by a doctor by 2 p.m. [the same day].\u201d<\/p>\n Oscar\u2019s Place\u2019s Texas facility \u2014 The Ugo & Elle Sap Center for the Advancement of Donkeys \u2014 opened Sept. 5.<\/p>\n Once donkeys arrive at the facility, King said their first stop is a covered intake arena where they\u2019re processed. Much like a human hospital, the donkey facility has ultrasound and X-ray technology along with a full pharmacy and equipment to run blood tests.<\/p>\n Sick donkeys go to the hospital barn that has 14 stalls with IV hangers, electric outlets and air conditioning, which helps fight lung disease in the harsh Texas climate. Elsewhere in the barn, there\u2019s a pair of isolated rooms for donkeys with highly infectious diseases like salmonella or strangles<\/a>.<\/p>\n Once donkeys are healthy, they\u2019re moved into the recovery barn, where they split time between there and the pasture. When around a dozen or so donkeys are healthy, they are shipped to California to either be rehomed or live out their days at the sanctuary.<\/p>\n King said the goal is to always move all the donkeys to California once they\u2019re healthy, but one that won\u2019t be making the trip is Old Man Banks.<\/p>\n The 30-year-old donkey had hoof damage and was so malnourished that even the slaughterhouse didn\u2019t bid on him. Old Man Banks would survive the trip to California once he\u2019s healthier, but King said the issue is, why put him through that when he\u2019s thriving and happy where he is?<\/p>\n \u201cBefore this hospital, I wouldn\u2019t have gotten [Old Man Banks] because he\u2019s skin and bones,\u201d King said. \u201cIt\u2019s just a perfect example of the difference that this [hospital] makes in the lives of donkeys.\u201d<\/p>\n The 40-acre Collinsville facility is the first hospital in the country dedicated solely to donkey care, King said.<\/p>\n There are plenty of equine hospitals in the U.S., but horses and donkeys are completely different animals and need their own specific care. That\u2019s part of why he wanted to launch the hospital, to help produce data and research at scale for universities to build donkey databases.<\/p>\n To that end, King said he wants to establish a residency program with Texas A&M like the California operation has with the University of California, Davis.<\/p>\n \u201cTo have veterinarians at the very beginning of their career fall in love with donkeys, that will change the game for donkeys,\u201d King said. \u201cBecause right now a donkey comes into a hospital, and everyone hides because nobody wants the donkey.\u201d<\/p>\n King\u2019s dream for the Texas facility, and Oscar\u2019s Place in general, is to have a positive impact on the world of donkeys.<\/p>\n It\u2019s incredibly hard work, especially rescuing donkeys from these slaughter auctions where every decision is life or death. It\u2019s not like the grievance he\u2019d feel when he lost an advertiser at his old job. Now, there\u2019s some real emotional weight.<\/p>\n \u201cI often say that I leave a piece of my soul at the auction each time I go,\u201d King said about his dozen or so auction visits. \u201cI don\u2019t have an infinite number of auctions in me because at some point I\u2019ll be soulless.\u201d<\/p>\n While the job can be heavy, there is also plenty of joy.<\/p>\n King has never been more tired and dirtier than he is now, but said he wouldn\u2019t trade it for the world. There\u2019s an emotional reward in seeing a donkey healthy and either finding a new home or living with others at the sanctuary.<\/p>\n He\u2019s also been able to help change the narrative around the animals with his ABC docuseries \u201cDonkey King,\u201d<\/a> which showcases the work Oscar\u2019s Place is doing in California. The 17-episode season aired earlier this year and King says there are ongoing discussions about doing another go-around.<\/p>\n As for the Texas hospital, King sees it as the next step in doing everything Oscar\u2019s Place can for donkeys. It\u2019s also a homecoming of sorts for the \u201cDonkey King.\u201d<\/p>\n While born in Arkansas, he lived in Fort Worth for a few years and attended J.P. Moore Elementary School (now named Boulevard Heights School) when his father went to seminary. Now, he\u2019s back in his old stomping grounds with a new pursuit.<\/p>\n \u201cDonkeys are really amazing,\u201d King said. \u201cPlease give them a chance.\u201d<\/p>\n Related Stories from Fort Worth Star-Telegram<\/p>\n![\"Ron](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/FTW_03-AED_DonkeyHospital.JPG\" "\\"FTW_03-AED_DonkeyHospital.JPG\\"")
Ron King, the co-founder of Oscar’s Place, spends time with the donkeys being cared for at the Ugo & Elle Sap Center for the Advancement of Donkeys on Tuesday, Sept. 22, 2026 in Collinsville. Former media executive Ron King was called to action after seeing a TikTok video about the fate of donkeys who are destined for slaughter. Abigail Dollins Fort Worth Star-Telegram Texas sun and Old Man Banks<\/p>\n![\"Oscar's](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/FTW_06-AED_DonkeyHospital.JPG\" "\\"FTW_06-AED_DonkeyHospital.JPG\\"")
Oscar’s Place has opened the first dedicated donkey hospital in the country in Collinsville. The hospital is located within an hour of the auction, where donkeys are rescued from the slaughter. Abigail Dollins Fort Worth Star-Telegram <\/p>\n![\"Oscar's](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/FTW_04-AED_DonkeyHospital.JPG\" "\\"FTW_04-AED_DonkeyHospital.JPG\\"")
Oscar\u2019s Place has opened the first dedicated donkey hospital in the country in Collinsville. The hospital is located within an hour of the auction, where donkeys are rescued from the slaughter. Abigail Dollins Fort Worth Star-Telegram A donkey king<\/p>\n![\"Ron](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/FTW_07-AED_DonkeyHospital.JPG\" "\\"FTW_07-AED_DonkeyHospital.JPG\\"")
Ron King, the co-founder of Oscar’s Place, spends time with the donkeys being cared for at The Ugo & Elle Sap Center for the Advancement of Donkeys on Tuesday, Sept. 22, 2026 in Collinsville. Abigail Dollins Fort Worth Star-Telegram <\/p>\n
![\"Profile](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/1793291551_988_BraydenHeadshot.jpg\")