Ohio Family Lives with Deer Friend
The words, "Yes, dear," have a whole new meaning in one Ohio household.
This family has a deer living inside their house.
Dillie the deer has lived with the Buteras in Canal Fulton, Ohio, for the past five years. Abandoned by her mother at birth, because the mother incorrectly thought she was blind, Dillie has since become part of another family -- a family of humans.
Steve Heathman, Dillie's owner, said the deer is "like my daughter and son."
Over the years, Dillie has adjusted to living indoors, eating pasta and ice cream -- and even swimming in the family pool.
Dr. Melanie Butera, the veterinarian who rescued Dillie and her other owner, said, "She pretty much runs the household. Everything revolves around her."
Butera said on "The Early Show" Dillie was three days old when she came to the house. A sickly triplet, Dillie, Butera said, was almost dead when a deer farmer brought her to the house at 3 a.m.
The Buteras also have a dog and two cats.
How do all the animals coexist?
"Dillie grew up in the household with them, and she thinks they're part of her family," Butera said. "... The dog can't be too far away from Dillie at any time. They're very close to each other. Dillie just thinks the dog is her mom and we're just part of the family too."
As for Dillie's impact on the home, Butera said, the deer hasn't destroyed their furnishings. Butera said Dillie just spills coffee cups and glasses every now and then.
But where does the deer do its business?
Heathman said Dillie is litter-trained.
For more with Dillie and her family, click on the video below:
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Copyright 2009 CBS. All rights reserved. This family has a deer living inside their house.
Dillie the deer has lived with the Buteras in Canal Fulton, Ohio, for the past five years. Abandoned by her mother at birth, because the mother incorrectly thought she was blind, Dillie has since become part of another family -- a family of humans.
Steve Heathman, Dillie's owner, said the deer is "like my daughter and son."
Over the years, Dillie has adjusted to living indoors, eating pasta and ice cream -- and even swimming in the family pool.
Dr. Melanie Butera, the veterinarian who rescued Dillie and her other owner, said, "She pretty much runs the household. Everything revolves around her."
Butera said on "The Early Show" Dillie was three days old when she came to the house. A sickly triplet, Dillie, Butera said, was almost dead when a deer farmer brought her to the house at 3 a.m.
The Buteras also have a dog and two cats.
How do all the animals coexist?
"Dillie grew up in the household with them, and she thinks they're part of her family," Butera said. "... The dog can't be too far away from Dillie at any time. They're very close to each other. Dillie just thinks the dog is her mom and we're just part of the family too."
As for Dillie's impact on the home, Butera said, the deer hasn't destroyed their furnishings. Butera said Dillie just spills coffee cups and glasses every now and then.
But where does the deer do its business?
Heathman said Dillie is litter-trained.
For more with Dillie and her family, click on the video below:
Watch CBS News Videos Online
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2) Dillie was born blind, with severe cataracts. She was a triplet and the mother refused to nurse her. This is what the farmer told me. I do not "know" what the mother deer was "thinking"-- that is just what this reporter said. All I knew at the time was that she was dying and I could save her.
3) Dillie does not just eat crap / treats all the time-- she has a very balanced proper deer diet, but it really doesn't make interesting video to watch her eat hay.
4) Deer eat pretty much anything. They have a great capacity to derive energy from unlikely sources-- that is how they get through the winter.
5)Dillie has never shown any aggressive tendencies and could do very little about it if she wanted to. I work with much scarier dogs every day-- cane corsos, rotts, that would just as soon kill me than let me put that thermometer up there you know what. She is not a buck, and is not a danger to anyone at any time.
Dillie has plenty of exercise roaming on 5 corralled acres of mixed pasture, lawn, and woods. She has seen deer over the fence but is afraid of them, and comes running to us if she sees one.
8. Dillie is fully permitted because SHE WAS NOT EVER A WILD DEER. Was born under a permit, and remains so. The wildlife officers love her and visit her yearly.
9. She is housebroken and goes mainly outside. She is very good about this. She has a designated potty area in an attached garage, where there are designated towels that we change if she uses them. She uses this if she cannot go outsie. When CBS was here she was restricted from this potty area for over 2 hrs during the time of day that she would usually be outside. She kept looking at the potty area but did not go until the cameraman brought over a fresh towel and laid it down. She went right to it and went.
10. If you feel it is "abuse" or "sick" that I took an animal that was sure to die and saved it, then you just don't understand the life of a vet. Every pet in my home was rescued from pending death. Lady was brought to me to be euthanized for behavioral issues, and the owners gave her to me when I told her had grown up with standard poodles. Her issues evaporated once she was able to receive the attention she needed. Spaz the cat was a good sam hit by car brought on emergency. No owner-- no one to pay the bill, but we treated him anyway-- and he is a great cat.
My clinic assists all sorts of wildlife-- volunteering our time and absorbing the costs. We are the ONLY clinic in our town that does this. you can see some of the wildlife we are currently helping at our facebook page or website: www.erah.evetsite.com.
I have worked with a LOT of wildlife rehabbers and have earned their respect as a fellow animal lover and compassionate person. One of them even wrote a book about her experiences as a rehabber and dedicated it to me. I know what I am doing, thanks to 8 years of college and 25 years of experience-- so just try to be happy that this once- poor dying creature survived and has brought so much joy to so many and is living a very happy life. Melanie Butera, DVM
A deer wants to live in the wild, away from humans and predators.
Beautiful, magnificent animals with incredible senses and abilities, yes. But it does this deer no good to be cooped up in a house with humans it's entire life. I feel so sorry for this poor animal. To force this magnificent animal to live a life imprisoned when it should be wild and free.
And yes, I'm a hunter . . . if you think this is a great story, then guess what . . . you have no regard, caring, or love in your heart for animals. If you did you'd understand how wrong this is and how sick this story is.
==========================
But in the wild it would be exposed to both humans and other predators.
Anyway, that argument is similar to the argument that all zoos should be closed and the animals released into the wild, because it isn't natural, for example, for lions and tigers to live in captivity.
Tippi Hedren, former actress and owner of big cat refuges, and an expert on these and other wild animals, writes,
"The romantic notion of freeing all the lions in the world would be quickly voted down by any lion with a full belly. From my own experience, our lions, if not hungry, would walk to a corner, yawn, and come home.
Sadly enough, few zoo-kept big cats would long survive if turned loose in the Serengeti or India."
From the book "The Cats of Shambala", by Tipi Hedren
In California, Bucks Attacking People and Pets
ABC News
Nov. 1, 2005
A rash of attacks by male deer has prompted California wildlife officials to warn people to try and keep their distance from the wild animals.
The attacks, two against people and three against neighborhood pets, are most likely fluke incidents, officials say. However, the gorings could also be a sign that as residential areas expand, wild deer are becoming more accustomed to people and less fearful of them.
"What happens is these animals get more comfortable around people and people start to think of them like Bambi and often don't realize they can be dangerous," said Steve Martarano of the California Department of Fish and Game.
The male deer that attacked Ron Dudek, 73, on Sept. 25 as he was picking tomatoes in his garden was likely caught by surprise, says Martarano. The 6-foot-tall buck charged out of a patch of shrubbery and gored Dudek in the face before running off. Dudek was rushed to the hospital where he received 220 stitches for the wounds. Three weeks later he died from a pulmonary blood clot resulting from the encounter."
http://abcnews.go.com/Technology/story?id=1258792
"The LORD sent Nathan to David. When he came to him, he said, "There were two men in a certain town, one rich and the other poor.
The rich man had a very large number of sheep and cattle, but the poor man had nothing except one little ewe lamb he had bought. He raised it, and it grew up with him and his children. It shared his food, drank from his cup and even slept in his arms. It was like a daughter to him.
"Now a traveler came to the rich man, but the rich man refrained from taking one of his own sheep or cattle to prepare a meal for the traveler who had come to him. Instead, he took the ewe lamb that belonged to the poor man and prepared it for the one who had come to him."
David burned with anger against the man and said to Nathan, "As surely as the LORD lives, the man who did this deserves to die! He must pay for that lamb four times over, because he did such a thing and had no pity."
Then Nathan said to David, "You are the man!"
2 Samuel 12:1-7
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How did they know what the mother deer was thinking ?
Do I need to bring anything?