Wanda the therapy donkey brings joy to Pennsylvania seniors: "She's like Ariel from 'The Little Mermaid'"

She spent her first 12 years in the wild, wandering through Arizona, but after being adopted by Kelsey Parisi last year, Wanda the donkey acclimated to life on the farm in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, quite quickly.

"Begging for cookies and yelling to come into the barn every day," Parisi said. "She's like Ariel from The Little Mermaid, I want to be where the people are. So anytime she sees someone she walks up to the gate, and she wants to be involved."

Parisi said after only a few weeks, Wanda's true personality came through. She started taking her to summer camps, local stores on pet days and she's become a regular visitor at nearby senior homes.

Wanda gets dressed up and allows residents to pet and feed her treats. Parisi said many times Wanda gravitates to the memory care patients and even puts her head in their lap.

"Sometimes you'll get people that would normally ask the animal's name five or six times in a visit, but they might remember her within that hour and that's pretty special," Parisi said.

On Friday, Wanda stopped by New Seasons at New Britain in Chalfont, where she makes routine visits and brings joy and smiles to everyone's face.

"You can tell instantly the residents love when the animals are here. There's just such a deep connection between the seniors and the love for the animals," Carly Zimmerman, the activities coordinator at New Seasons, said. "It's special. It brings them back to times when they were happiest."

Parisi is now sharing Wanda's story. She entered her into a national Top Pets competition, where she cruised to the semifinals. Win or lose, Parisi said Wanda is one of a kind.

"So seeing people get joy from her, it's really special," she said.