Cruel or cool, the Baudet de Poitou donkey breed

This rare species of Donkey is big boned, and raised because as it sheds each year, its hair becomes matted and over the years with no grooming gets long and looks like dreadlocks. The most valued breeders are the ones with the longest dreadlocks. It is said they overheat easily from all the hair.

Personally, this is like not grooming your poodle until it looks like a matted mess, and calling it a breed and saying its ok. I think its cruel people don't groom them on purpose, I imagine those matts hurt.

Here are two photos comparing groomed and ungroomed.

Groomed
http://bookscorpion.deviantart.com/art/Baudet-de-Poitou-grooming-160212555
Not groomed
http://tigertailfoods.com/wp/wp-content/uploads/2010/07/poitou-3.jpg

it looks like a dog the puli poor donkey needs a haircut

There are dog breeds like that. . .I guess with the way the hair mats, it doesn't pull? And I guess dreadlocks on humans don't hurt. So I don't know. I can't imagine the dreadlocked donkey smells too good though. . .:lol3: