This is Petronius the Arbiter, or, as we like to call him, Pete.

Pete was purchased in the early days of our farm when we were looking for a miniature horse or a miniature donkey to keep our one horse, Fleck, company. We purchased a miniature mule instead and we rue the day...ahem, I mean, we love him so much! Haha!

    This guy is our farm mascot, our perimeter fence tester, neighborhood menace (he's had several threats on his life by gardening neighbors), fence repair job motivator (because I like Pete and don't want neighbors to threaten his life - he tells me where the mini mule sized gaps are and they usually never get big enough to let a full-sized horse off our property), all-around mischief maker, and best companion ever to Fleck. He also keeps the coyotes away, because his unnatural nature as a mule creeps them out.     Unfortunately, that also makes his relationship with our dogs unusual. They bark at him and are aggravated by him, sometimes are chased by him, and then we sometimes see Pete and the dogs playing together or napping in the grass together. It's a complicated relationship.

    Pete's expected long lifespan of 40+ years has our children all fighting over him...mostly fighting about who has to take him, because he'll likely outlive us.

    All kidding aside, though, he's one of the sweetest, bitter-sweet animals we own, and he's always amusing us with his toddler-like antics.

    Until one of our children have to decide that they've drawn the short straw and have to take him, he'll be a part of our farm.