A legal dispute has arisen over two donkeys being fostered by a couple in Co Wicklow who have started an online petition to prevent Donkey Sanctuary Ireland (DSI) from taking the animals away from them.
DSI said it is taking legal action to have the donkeys returned, due to welfare concerns - a claim the couple reject.
Gerry and Sandra Kinsella began fostering Wags and Trey 13 years ago and they live on their farm at Brickfield Sidings in Rathnew.
Issues between the Kinsellas and DSI started in 2022, following the introduction of the country's first National Equine Census, when it was discovered that Wags and Trey - who originally came to Ireland from the UK - did not have Irish passports.
It is a legal requirement for equines coming into Ireland from abroad to be registered here and to get an Irish passport.
The couple said they went about rectifying the situation by liaising with the relevant authorities in both the UK and Ireland to secure Irish passports for the donkeys.
However, Ms Kinsella said that shortly after they successfully registered Wags and Trey as part of the equine census that the couple "had a visit from the welfare officer from Donkey Sanctuary Ireland, and Gerry told him upfront what we had done to complete the census".
"I don't think they were too happy about that, because three days later we started receiving letters looking for the passports back," she added.
In a statement to RTÉ News, the DSI said: "The welfare of our donkeys is always our utmost priority. That is why all our guardians must commit to following strict guidelines on matters such as passports, routine healthcare and regular meetings with our welfare advisors.
"Unfortunately, in this case, we have grounds for serious concerns about both the conduct of the guardian and the welfare of the donkeys involved.
"We do not recognise the order of events and claims published on social media by the guardian.
"It is very disappointing to see the Donkey Sanctuary misrepresented in this way, which has the potential to mislead our supporters and seriously undermines the dedication shown by our passionate and committed staff over many years.
"We have a duty to protect the welfare of all donkeys in our care. We therefore have no option but to pursue legal proceedings in the hope of settling on a resolution that is in the best interests of the donkeys involved."
The Kinsellas reject the claims from DSI, with Ms Kinsella pointing out that "our donkeys are on view 24/7".
She said: "If there was a welfare issue, with the amount of people that pass by and come to visit them surely it would have been reported before now.
"This is nothing to do with welfare, this is an issue over paperwork, that's all that it is."
The Kinsellas said they were served with notice of the legal proceedings just yesterday.
"We don't want to go to court. We've been quoted it could cost €25,000 to fight this, and the same from the Donkey Sanctuary side. If we lose it could cost €50,000. What a waste of money for a charitable organisation when these donkeys are so well cared for," Ms Kinsella said.
The couple have started an online petition to highlight their campaign. They said there has been fantastic support for them.
Mr Kinsella said: "So far we have had nearly 1,400 signatures in ten days."
There is also an active social media campaign to highlight the story.
The couple said Wags and Trey are a huge part of the local community and that adults and children come to see them from "all over the place".
"They pet them, feed them treats ... they bring a source of joy to the whole community," Mr Kinsella said.
While Ms Kinsella said the threat of losing the two donkeys is "heartbreaking for us because we love these boys ... they're our family, they're not just donkeys".
"We just want to keep them, that's all were interested in," she added.
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