A photo of a sign that went viral might have some people braying, but Grand County commissioners stand by the unconventional image that’s been put up on some county roads.

On Sept. 20, “Next with Kyle Clark” shared an image of a yellow sign off US Highway 34 outside of Granby. The sign reads: “Slow your (image of a donkey) down.” The Facebook post had over 1,300 likes and hundreds of shares as of Tuesday.

In an update to Grand County commissioners, Road and Bridge Superintendent Chris Baer said he explained to Kyle Clark, an anchor with 9NEWS, that the signs were rolled out by the county about two years ago to try to get drivers’ attention.

Instead of hee-hawnking to get people to slow down, the county enlisted the help of a farm animal.

“It’s basically just to get outside the box and get people to think about what they’re doing when they’re driving,” Baer said. “That’s the whole intention behind those. They’re not there to be disrespectful in any way, shape or form.”

The reason the topic was brought up with the commissioners Tuesday was that the increased attention on the local signs had been a pain in the — well, at least a few people complained to the Colorado Department of Transportation.

However, Baer thought the signs had good standing.

He explained via email that according to the Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices for Streets and Highways, the signs are considered warning signs. The sign is shown in black letters on a yellow background, unlike regulatory signs — think posted speed limits — that have black letters on white backgrounds.

Additionally, the county’s road and bridge department deploys these signs using breakaway posts, meaning they snap easy if hit by a car and they’re like the ones CDOT uses.

“Unless legal sees something, I think we’re good to go,” Baer told commissioners.

Baer estimated there are roughly a dozen of these signs throughout the county. Most are on the Fraser Valley side, but a few burros throughout the county have the image.

During discussions, it was pointed out CDOT has a similar caliber of traffic messaging along major highways, the prime example being the electronic signs that say, “Slow your app down.”

Comments on Clark’s Facebook post were overwhelmingly positive with many people wishing for a similar sign in their own community.

“Can we have one on I-25 from Castle Rock to Denver please?” asked one comment.

The commissioners all expressed their continued support during the meeting. After mule-ing it over, they agreed that signs encouraging safe driving were good for the county.

“I would encourage even additional use of them,” Commissioner Kris Manguso said.