Rowdy, The Sabillasville Donkey

RelaYed by Becky Royer Smith, Submitted by Joan Bittner Fry

If you’ve ever used Route 550 from Thurmont to Sabillasville, you probably became familiar with seeing Rowdy, the donkey. Rowdy was owned by Jim Royer, who lives just outside Sabillasville. He was a farmer for many years along with his father, Paul, who lived on the family farm behind Jim.

In 1993, Jim’s wife, Peggy, and her daughter, Becky, went to look at a pair of emus a lady had for sale. The lady’s main business, however, was miniature donkeys. Peggy and Becky immediately fell in love with a certain donkey, so their excuse for bringing him home was a birthday present for Jim. He was named Rowdy.

Over the years, countless people would stop to look at the emus, but Rowdy became a favorite and was often given treats. (I remember that George Wolfe, a former mail carrier, would give him dog biscuits.) Rowdy loved the attention.

On several occasions, when Rowdy was locked up due to cold weather or a farrier visit, people would call or stop at the Royer home to ask if he was okay.

Rowdy passed away on February 9, 2026, at the age of 35. The Royers owned him for 33 years. Unfortunately, Rowdy can no longer be seen along 550 outside Sabillasville near Brown’s Quarry Road. We can now look at those strange-looking birds. A good country memory. Thanks, Royers!